The 100 Themes Challenge, Pokemon Style
by Clare
Summary: I thought I'd try my hand at the 100 Themes Challenge, using the "Pokemon" fandom. Each chapter will a short vignette set in the Pokemon world and will be narrated by a different Pokemon.
1. Introduction

****

Introduction

How do you go about introducing yourself?

I suppose you start with your name, except I don't really have one. My trainer just calls me "Charmander", so I guess you'll have to call me that too. I know there are some trainers who give their Pokemon nicknames (I once met a Glameow whose trainer called her Rosie) but a lot of them don't. Don't ask me why - I don't know the answer myself.

Anyway, I'm Charmander, a Charmander in case it wasn't already obvious. I'm a Fire Type Pokemon, an orange-red lizard with a flame burning on the tip of my tail. I've been travelling around Kanto with Mike (my trainer) since he came to the lab in Pallet Town a month ago. I remember being let out of my Poke Ball to find myself face-to-face with two humans, one of whom was Professor Oak, the man in charge of the laboratory. I didn't know who the other human was then, but I guessed he was a lot younger than the Professor.

In any case, this young human (whose name, I soon learned, was Mike) was there to pick his first Pokemon. And I was going to be it. I was going to leave the lab where I had lived all my life and travel with Mike on his Pokemon journey. I remember puffing up my chest with pride when Mike decided that I was going to be his starter, determined to do my best. Just for a moment, I allowed the flame on my tail to burn just a little brighter.

* * *

I guess you could say I'm a pretty determined fighter; before each battle, I get "fired up", if you'll pardon the pun. But I do enjoy use Fire Type moves and I'll never forget the day I used Ember for the first time. It was during a battle against another trainer's Sunkern, early in my travels with Mike; I'd just given the Grass Pokemon a good Scratch when I suddenly felt energy building up inside me. For some reason, there was a warm sensation in my mouth and throat. I didn't say "burning" because Fire Type Pokemon don't burn and we also have a high level of tolerance when it comes to heat; to me, it just felt pleasently warm. And, when I opened my mouth, a flame shot out. Just a small one, but, because the Sunkern was weak against Fire, it was enough to finish her off. I had learned Ember.

I'm not Mike's only Pokemon, of course. One of the first things we did together was battle and catch a Rattata; the purple rat and I are now close friends and, whenever Mike lets us out of our Poke Balls, we like to have practice battles against each other. Then there's Buizel (Rattata helped Mike with that capture because of my weakness to Water) and Hoothoot. There was Weedle, but he evolved and he's now a Beedrill.

Do I want to evolve? I've thought about it a lot lately, especially since I've gained almost enough experience to evolve into a Charmeleon. On the one hand, it would mean I would become stronger and more powerful. But, on the other hand, I have heard of Pokemon who evolved too quickly and then couldn't control the extra power they gained; fortunately, that doesn't happen often. Evolution is not a decision to be made lightly because, once a Pokemon evolves, they can never revert to their previous form. That would be like turning an adult human back into a child.

So, in answer to the question of whether I want to evolve, my answer is maybe, but not just yet. I'm happy being a Charmander for a little while longer and Mike seems content to wait, so I'll remain in my current evolutionary form for the time being.

* * *

I like to battle, especially if the opponent puts up a good fight. The toughest opponent I've faced so far was a Vespiquen, the first evolved Pokemon I ever battled. She was extremely agile in the air, so much so that several of my attempts to hit her with an Ember failed. And, to further complicate matters, she knew a move called Defend Order, which meant she could summon dozens of Combees to act as a sort of barrier against my attacks. Of course, they weren't real and could easily be neutralised, but doing so took time. In any case, I ended up losing that battle (even though I had the Type advantage) because the Vespiquen was too fast for me and, when she fired a Hyper Beam at me, I couldn't dodge it in time.

I wasn't bitter, though; I like to win battles, but I knew I'd been defeated by a strong opponent. Better than being creamed by a Caterpie - I don't think I'd live it down if that happened. And Mike told me it didn't matter that I hadn't won, that all I had to do was train a little more so I would become stronger and faster. So, the next time I faced an evolved Pokemon, I might stand a better chance against it.

Mike's like that with all his Pokemon. If we lose a battle, he doesn't get angry with us; instead, he looks at what went wrong and tries to make sure we learn from the experience as well. Unlike some Pokemon trainers, who blame every defeat on "weak Pokemon". To be honest, though, I get really annoyed by such trainers and I feel like yelling: "There's no such thing as a weak Pokemon, only weak trainers!" But it would be waste of time because all these humans would hear would be something along the lines of: "Charmander char char charmander . . ." I know Mike understands me because he's my trainer and he's spent a lot of time with me, but strangers are another matter.

How do I feel about Poke Balls? To be honest, I've never given it much thought. But, then again, I am used to Poke Balls since they've been a fact of life for me from the moment I was hatched. I was never a wild Pokemon, so I can't tell you how it feels to be caught in one of these Balls. What I can say, though, is that I have spoken to other Pokemon on the subject and found that their opinions vary widely. Some actually like being in their Poke Balls, while others only tolerate it. And, then, there are those who absolutely hate it, who think it's a means for humans to control Pokemon.

Anyway, though I don't mind being in my Poke Ball, I enjoy being let out from time to time. Mike always makes sure my team-mates and I spend at least part of each day out of our Balls, so we can get some exercise and practice our battle techniques. Sometimes, he'll even let Rattata, Buizel or myself out so we can walk with him. And, of course, Hoothoot and Beedrill can fly, so they're useful as scouts. I'll be able to fly as well when I'm a Charizard, but, like I said before, I don't think that will be for a while yet; besides, I'd have to go through the Charmeleon stage first.

* * *

There are so many things I'd like to tell you about myself, but I don't have time to tell you my entire life story, my hopes for the future and stuff like that. So I'll just tell you a few snippets of information, a few details about myself. My favourite colour is green. Bet you didn't expect that from a Fire Pokemon; you were probably expecting me to say "orange" or "red". My favourite food is flame-grilled pizza with a cheese-and-tomato topping; Mike shared some with me once and I developed something of a liking for it. But Pokemon food isn't too bad - just as well, really, because that's what we Pokemon get fed most of the time. It might all look alike to you humans, but it comes in different recipes for different Types of Pokemon. Fire Pokemon food for Fire Types, Water Pokemon food for Water Types . . . and so on.

So there you have it. I'm Charmander, a Fire Type Pokemon, and these are some of my thoughts on life as a Pokemon on the road with a human trainer. Of course, everything I've said here reflects my personal experiences and should not be taken as typical of all Pokemon.

I guess the only thing left for me to say is that I hope I'll have a chance to meet you some day.


	2. Love

****

Love

I am a Pokemon in love.

Or, to be more precise, I am a Roserade in love. The object of my affections is the most handsome Pokemon I've ever met. I love everything about him, from his orange fur to his long tail with a lightning bolt at the end. He is, as you may have gathered, a Raichu, an Electric Type Pokemon. Bet that surprised you; you were probably expecting me to be in love with a Shiftry or a Carnivine . . . One of the Grass Pokemon anyway. But, no - I'm in love with a Raichu.

We first met when I was still a Roselia and he was still a Pikachu. A new family moved in next door to my trainer's family; they had a son about the same age as my trainer, Lara, who had a Pikachu. I was watching from Lara's bedroom window and saw the yellow mouse perched on the boy's shoulder when he got out of the car. "He's cute," I thought. I mean the Pikachu, not the boy. "I'd like to get to know him a bit better."

As it turned out, I didn't have long to wait. The next day, Lara's family invited the new neighbours over and the boy (whose name, I learned, was Jon) brought his Pikachu with him. While the adult humans chatted inside, Jon and Lara took us into the garden to play. I remember how Pikachu and I chased each other all over the lawn, as well as engaging in play-fighting. I didn't say "Pokemon battle" because we didn't battle in that sense; it was more a friendly tussle on the lawn. Anyway, we spent a pleasant afternoon playing together and enjoying ourselves.

After that, Pikachu and I saw a lot of each other. Since our trainers lived next door to each other, it was easy for us to meet - and the fact that Jon and Lara quickly became friends certainly helped. There was a hole in the fence, just large enough for a small Pokemon to squeeze through, and we made regular use of it. We spent our time playing together and practicing our moves. I was already pretty good at Magical Leaf, but Pikachu helped me get even better; he would use his Agility and try to get me to hit him while he was moving at speed.

And, when Jon and Lara were old enough to begin their Pokemon journeys, they took us with them. The four of us set off together, Pikachu riding on Jon's shoulder, while I travelled in Lara's backpack. I remember feeling excited and a little nervous - after all, I'd never been away from Lara's home town - and, looking at Pikachu, I knew he felt the same.

* * *

It was around then that Pikachu and I realised we were falling in love. It happened shortly after Lara fought her first serious battle - me versus a Sentret belonging to a trainer we met on the road. I lost that battle, so I was feeling pretty low and, when we made camp that night, I sat on my own and thought about things, wondering what chance I would have against a Gym Leader if I couldn't beat a Sentret. Then, I heard someone behind me. I turned; it was Pikachu.

"You OK?" he asked me.

"Guess so," was all I said in reply.

He sat down beside me. "You're thinking about the battle against that Sentret, aren't you?"

I nodded. "It's made me think," I told him. "If I couldn't win that battle, what hope do I have . . ."

But Pikachu cut me off in mid-sentence. "Don't ever say that! So you lost one battle? So what? There'll be other battles and, with a bit more training, you might even win some of them."

I looked up, hope shining in my eyes. "Do you really think so?"

"I know so." Pikachu leaned in closer and put his paw round me. "Roselia," he went on, "you're my friend . . . No, I think you're more than that. And here's something to show how much I believe in you." With that, he pulled me towards himself and gave me a tender kiss. My first kiss . . . The magic of it is hard to put into words, so I'll just say that, in that brief moment, I felt like a Pokemon who had no worries in the world, who could take on any challenge that came my way. I felt . . . special. And, before you ask, a kiss was as far as we went.

* * *

After that, Pikachu became like my soul mate. He cared for me and I, in turn, cared for him. And I no longer felt dejected if I lost a battle because I knew Pikachu would be there to cheer me up. He was - is - a very caring Pokemon, always ready to be there for me should the need arise. And that's how we continued for the next few months, travelling with Jon and Lara, cheering each other's victories, consoling each other in moment of defeat.

I suppose you're wondering when Pikachu and I evolved into Raichu and Roserade. Well, it happened like this.

During the course of our journey, Jon picked up a Thunder Stone and Lara was given a Shiny Shone, the Stones needed to evolve Pikachu into Raichu and myself into Roserade. But they didn't use them right away; instead, they agreed to let us evolve when we were ready. One night, just before we got to the second-to-last Gym, Pikachu and I discussed this question. "Pikachu?" I whispered as I sat beside him on a tree stump.

He looked at me. "Hmm?"

"Pikachu," I said again, "I've got something to tell you. I - I think I'm ready to evolve. Lara just needs to use the Shiny Stone on me and . . ." I hesitated, unsure how to phrase what I wanted to say next.

"Are you saying you're worried I won't love as much when you're a Roserade?"

I nodded. Pikachu and I had fallen in love with each other's current form and, though I felt I was ready to evolve, I couldn't help wondering what effect it would have on his feelings for me. He meant so much to me and I wasn't sure if I was ready to risk it. After all, I knew enough about Pokemon evolution to know that, once the energy from the Shiny Stone was absorbed into my body and I made the change from Roselia to Roserade, there would be no going back.

"Well, that's just silly," Pikachu told me. "Just because you change on the outside doesn't mean you'll change on the inside as well. Besides," he added, "I've been thinking about evolving myself, only . . ."

"Only you weren't sure how I would feel about it," I said, guessing what he was going to say next. Suddenly, I realised that he had been worried about the exact same thing as me, that I would not love him anymore when he became a Raichu. The absurdity of the situation was so funny that I began to laugh. "Pikachu," I said between giggles, "of course I'll still love you, you silly Pokemon! I just wasn't sure if . . ."

He cut me off in mid-sentence by pulling me towards him and kissing me full on the lips. "Not another word!" he said, pulling away from me. We sat looking at each other for a few moments, thinking of everything that happened since we had met and how much we loved each other. I can't remember which of us said it first, but, somewhere down the line one of us made a suggestion which would change both our lives - why not evolve together? All it required was for both of us to touch the required Stones at the same time. And it would give Jon and Lara a nice surprise when they woke up and found that we had evolved.

"I will if you will," I said to Pikachu, who nodded.

* * *

Now all we had to do was get the Stones out of our respective trainers' bags. This took us some time, partly because human bags aren't exactly designed with Pokemon in mind and partly because we had to paw through all the odds and ends Jon and Lara carried with them. But we eventually managed to find the Stones and roll them out of the bags. We stood looked down at them for a few seconds, then Pikachu reached down and touched the Thunder Stone with his paw, while I touched the Shiny Stone with my blue rose.

Instantly, we were both enveloped in a white light. I felt myself beginning to grow and change, white fluff appearing on my head like hair, the single roses which formed my "hands" growing into bouquets . . . The whole process took only a few seconds and, when it was over, Pikachu - sorry, Raichu - and I looked at each other. Raichu was the first to speak in his new form.

"Roserade, you look more beautiful than ever," he said, kissing me. I kissed him back, noting as I did so that his kisses seemed to have an intensity that hadn't been there when he was a Pikachu. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that we had both shared in the moment of evolution, but, whatever it was, I knew I was more in love with him than ever.

That night, the same night we evolved, Raichu and I mated for the first time.


	3. Light

****

Light

Janine and I peered into the deep blackness of the cave, neither of us daring to venture too far into the dark cavern. Trouble was, as this cave lay directly on the route Janine wanted to take to the next city, we would have to go inside sooner or later - either that or find another route. And, in case you're wondering, Janine did have a torch with her, but the batteries had packed up, there were no spares in her bag and we were nowhere near any shops.

It wasn't so bad here in the entrance, where there was at least some daylight coming in through the cave mouth. Further in, however, we would lose even that small amount of illumination and be left blundering around in the dark. Well, Janine would; I could always use my Psychic senses to help me navigate. But I knew from experience that, if there were any Psychic Pokemon in the cave, their brain waves would interfere with my attempts to do so.

Sorry, I haven't introduced myself. I'm a Kirlia and Janine is my trainer; we've been together since I was a Ralts and I'm her favourite Pokemon. She also has a Skiploom, a Persian, a Prinplup, a Staravia and a Growlithe. We're all travelling together on a Pokemon journey.

Anyway, we had to get through that cave because the alternative route to our destination would mean going miles out of our way. According to Janine's map, the cave exited at a point less than a mile from the next city. That, and the fact it was on the most direct route to where we wanted to go, meant we had to find a way of navigating in the dark. Janine sat down, resting her chin in her hands, and sighed. "Wish I'd caught a Zubat . . ." When she said that, I thought to myself that a Zubat was just the sort of Pokemon we needed; its echo-location could help us to navigate inside the cave. Of course, this cave was just the sort of place where you might expect to find a Zubat colony . . .

It was while Janine and I were trying to think of a solution to our problem that we saw someone emerging from the cave. That someone was a man dressed in hiking gear, a Baltoy hovering at his side. The first thing I noticed was that he was not carrying a torch; instead, the point on his Baltoy's head was glowing. But why? I did not have long to wonder about this before the man pulled a Poke Ball out of his pocket. "Good work, Baltoy," he said. "Take a rest."

He pointed the Poke Ball at his Baltoy, who disappeared into it in a flash of red light.

* * *

The man with the Baltoy was just about to get on his way to wherever he was going when he spotted us. Janine and I were sitting on the ground, trying to figure out a way round our problem. Not that I minded; I'd been around humans long enough to know that they did not tend to speak directly to Pokemon they didn't know.

Janine sighed. "It's that cave. I've got to get through it, but I don't have a torch - not one that works anyway."

The man looked thoughtful for a moment, then answered. "In that case, have you ever thought about using Flash?"

"Flash?" echoed Janine, looking and sounding puzzled.

"Sure. When a Pokemon knows Flash, you can use it to light up even the darkest caves - no need for a torch." He chuckled, a big, hearty laugh. "My Baltoy's been invaluable when I've been exploring caves and . . ." He paused and looked at me. "I'd be grateful if you'd let me teach your Kirlia Flash," he added.

Janine and I looked at each other, both of us wondering if we should take this man up on his offer. We'd heard of people called "Move Tutors", who taught moves to trainers' Pokemon for free, but we'd never met one before. So far, all the moves I knew were ones I had either learned naturally as I trained or had been taught to me by Janine. Should we take this man up on his offer?

In the end, Janine nodded. "OK," she said. "If Kirlia's willing." She turned to me and asked me if I would be willing to learn a new move, one which would be very useful for getting through dark caves like the one nearby.

I thought about it for a moment and, the more I did, the more it seemed like the best solution to our problem. With no working torch, we needed an alternative source of illumination and, from what this man was saying, it sounded as if Flash could provide it. I nodded decisively. "OK, let's do it," I said in Kirlia language.

* * *

As soon as the man with the Baltoy had taught me to use Flash, he wished Janine luck and set off on his way. We never even learned his name.

Janine and I walked into the cave and kept going until it became too dark to see where we were going. Now was the time for me to test out my newest move, the one I had learned only a few minutes ago. Janine turned to me - thanks to my Psychic powers, I could sense this even though I couldn't see her - and said: "Kirlia! Flash, now!" Concentrating hard, I began to focus all my energy, telling myself that I had to do this; Janine was depending on me to light up the cave.

One can't really explain how Pokemon know how to use their various moves; it's just something we know by instinct. So I can't tell you how I knew what to do when Janine told me to use Flash. What I can tell you is that, as I focused my energy, there was a brief flash of light which, I supposed, was the Flash kicking in. It soon steadied down into a constant light source which seemed to be emitted from the red horns on my head. At least my horns felt as if they were glowing, kind of like they did when I used some of my Attacks. This time, however, the glowing sensation was constant.

I was surrounded by a light which radiated out to provide illumination for myself and anyone in the immediate vicinity. Now, I could act as a living torch to light our way through the cave. We began to walk; I was in the lead and Janine was just behind me, following the light emitted by my horns. I was a beacon, a light on an otherwise dark night, a torch to light the way. As we walked, we kept our eyes and ears open for any wild Pokemon that might cross our path. Well, Janine was a Pokemon trainer, after all.

As it happens, Janine managed to catch three more Pokemon by the time we reached the cave's exit. The first was a Geodude, which I subdued with a Confusion before Janine caught him in a Poke Ball. Next, we nabbed a Nosepass which was a little tougher than the Geodude, but was eventually caught as well. Finally, just before we got to the exit, we came across a Makuhita; as a Psychic Type, I had the advantage in that battle and it wasn't long before he was inside one of Janine's Poke Balls. Of course, because Janine already had six Pokemon with her, they all got transported as soon as they were caught.

* * *

Not long after the Makuhita was caught, we saw light up ahead and felt fresh air on our faces. The exit had to be near. Shouting with joy at the thought of having successfully negotiated this cave (though I doubt we would have been able to do so had it not been for our chance encounter with the man with the Baltoy) we ran towards the light and out into the open.

Afterwards, we sat on the ground outside the cave and thought about our adventures so far. As we did so, I thought about how, now that I knew Flash, we would never have to worry about dark caves again. Because, from now on, I would be able to light them up using my newest move.

For light, as they say, can illuminate even the darkest cave.


	4. Dark

****

Dark

Sometimes, I feel we Dark Type Pokemon have had a bad press where humans are concerned.

I mean, look at what the Pokedex says about some of us. Murkrow is said to "carry misfortunate", Absol is classified as the "disaster Pokemon" . . . and so on. Even my own evolved form, Houndoom, has such an entry - and I quote: "Long ago, people imagined its eerie howls to be the call of the grim reaper." OK, so maybe some of us do lurk in shadows, but that doesn't mean we're evil. The dark is our natural element, after all.

I, as you may have gathered from that last paragraph, am a Houndour, a black-and-tan dog-like Pokemon and a combined Dark and Fire Type. I'm one of the Pokemon belonging to Kendra, the Gym Leader of Ebonville City who specialises in Dark Type Pokemon. As well as me, she has an Umbreon and a Honchkrow. The three of us have fought in several Gym Battles between us, sometimes winning, sometimes losing.

The Gym's arena is one big room, with the walls and floor painted black, except for the white line to indicate where each Pokemon should be at the start of each battle. These lines are mandatory for all Gyms sponsored by every branch of the Pokemon League. As the Gym Leader, Kendra stands at the far end of the room, waiting in shadows until a challenger arrives; when one does, a spotlight illuminates to reveal a young dark-haired woman in a black mini-dress.

Don't get me wrong. Kendra isn't gothic or anything like that, but she says dressing in black fits in with the Gym's theme. In fact, she says the notion that having Dark Type Pokemon means a trainer has a "dark" personality is an outdated stereotype. True, there are a lot of criminal gangs whose members favour Dark Types, but there are also several Dark trainers who are not criminals. And Kendra is one of them.

* * *

Each night, Kendra takes Umbreon, Honchkrow and myself down to the park to train. Sometimes, we train during the day, especially during the off-season when there are fewer trainers passing through, but we mostly train at night. As Dark Types, this suits us down to the ground; the night, to use an old cliche, calls to us. Often, especially on a full moon, I feel the urge to just run and run without stopping. It's as if being out on a moonlit night invigorates me somehow, makes me feel as though the night and I are as one.

Surprisingly, though Umbreon and Honchkrow are also Dark Types, they don't seem to feel the same urge to run (or fly, in Honchkrow's case) in the moonlight. Or, if they do, they've never mentioned it. But I did once meet a Mightyena who told me that the urges I feel are not unusual. She said many Dark Type Pokemon have the same feeling I get when the moon is full; they feel as though they are filled with an endless supply of energy, that, as long as the moon remains in the sky, they could keep on going indefinitely. She even gave this phenomenon a name: the Call of the Moon, or something like that.

Anyway, Kendra takes us to the park every night to train. There aren't many other trainers about at that time and most of those we do encounter train either Dark or Ghost Type Pokemon. So we spend most of the time having practice battles against each other or working to improve the accuracy of our moves. We each have our prefered battle techniques. Umbreon specialises in speed and dodging the opponent's Attacks, while Honchkrow likes to use the sky to his advantage. As for me, I prefer distance Attacks such as Flamethrower, but I do like to get right up close to my opponent and give them a good Bite.

* * *

If I could be any other Pokemon Type, what would I be and why?

I can't really answer that question as I've been a Dark Type all my life. Unlike Umbreon, whom I've known since she was an Eevee, I've never been anything else. Besides, you were expecting me to say I'd like to be a Ghost Type, weren't you? More lazy stereotyping - just because Ghost Pokemon share the same nocturnal habits as Dark Types, you think we are more or less the same. Not that I've anything against Ghost Pokemon, but . . .

Anyway, the best answer I can give to that question is that I don't want to be any other Type. I'm a Dark Type Pokemon and I'm perfectly happy that way, thank you very much . . . What? You think Dark Pokemon can't be happy? You think that, because darkness is our natural element, we should be dour and gloomy all the time. That's the biggest load of crap I've ever heard!

Sorry, got a little carried away there. But it does annoy me when people make assumptions about me based purely on the fact that I happen to be a Dark Type. If you got to know the real me, you'd see that I'm not remotely gloomy - most of the time. I have my off days like anyone else, but that's got nothing to do with me being a Dark Type.

Of course, it's not just we Dark Pokemon who get stereotyped in this way. I have heard it said that Rock Pokemon are generally regarded as . . . well, rock-headed, a bit lacking in the brains department, that Electric Pokemon are "sparky", if you'll pardon the terrible pun . . . and so on. But we're all individuals and, while some Pokemon of each Type may fit preconceived ideas of what that Type is like, a lot of us don't.

* * *

Why do so many humans assume Dark Type Pokemon are evil or, at least, grim and foreboding? I've never really been able to answer that question, but there is an interesting theory on the matter.

Long ago, the theory states, humans feared the unknown. And, because the night was full of unknown mysteries, they began to fear anything associated with it. This included nocturnal Pokemon and Dark Type Pokemon are almost invariably nocturnal. As a result, superstitions grew up around us, such as the idea that Murkrow is the bringer of misfortunate. Even though humans are now supposed to be more rational, it seems old superstitions still persist, as illustrated by some of the Pokedex entries for Dark Pokemon.

But you can't judge a Pokemon of any Type based purely on its Pokedex entry. We are individuals. We each have our own personalities, our own likes and dislikes. Also, Dark Type Pokemon are no more inclined to be evil than any other Type; indeed, I've heard it said that there is no such thing as a truly bad Pokemon, just humans who train their Pokemon to do bad things.

So I may be a Dark Type, but it doesn't necessarily follow that I've got a dark personality. Nor does it follow that my trainer should be dark or gothic or anything like that. As for the notion that we are automatically the enemies of all Psychic Pokemon, I treat that with the contempt it deserves. We may have a Type advantage against them in battle, but that doesn't mean we can't get along with them outside battle. Besides, no-one says that about any other combination of Types, even if one does have an advantage over the other. Water and Fire Pokemon aren't automatically assumed to be enemies; nor are any of the other possible Type combinations. It's just with Dark and Psychic Pokemon that this stereotype seems to exist.

I'd like to talk longer, but I fear I'd just be repeating myself; besides, I can hear Kendra calling me. A challenger has arrived at the Gym and it's time to battle once again.


	5. Seeking Solace

****

Seeking Solace

I could feel an overwhelming emptiness inside me as I gazed at my mate's final resting place, which lay at the base of a tree. We'd been so happy together, living in the forest without a care in the world, but all that was gone now. My mate was dead, killed by a combined Poison Sting from an entire Beedrill swarm while trying to protect me. Normally, a Poison Sting is painful, but it isn't fatal; my mate, however, had been hit by several at once and the poison had been enough to kill him.

Shedding a tear, I looked down at the small mound of earth beneath which my mate now lay. As I did so, I thought of how the two of us had disturbed that Beedrill nest while we were gathering berries in the forest, how my mate had insisted on staying to fight the Beedrills while I made my escape, how . . . The thought of what had happened next sent tears trickling down my face and onto the ground at my paws. Beside me, the Bibarel who had dug the grave for my mate slipped a comforting paw round me.

"Sentret?" he whispered. "Are you going to be OK?"

I didn't answer. I couldn't answer; the grief was like a knot inside me and I couldn't speak. I wanted to thank Bibarel for all he'd done. He'd found me with my dying mate and, when I told him about the Beedrills and the Poison Sting, he'd tried feeding my mate a Pecha Berry. But my mate was too badly Poisoned for it to work and had died in my paws. That was when Bibarel offered to bury my mate for me, a simple ceremony with just the two of us present. I was grateful, but I couldn't express my gratitude; all I could do was listen in silence as Bibarel offered me his condolences.

Next, I placed a single wild flower on top of the mound of earth, my final gift to the Sentret I'd loved.

* * *

I don't remember how long I stayed there, but, in the end, Bibarel persuaded me to return to my nest. I didn't want to - I couldn't bring myself to leave the spot where my mate was buried - but Bibarel said I had to. My mate, I was told, would want me to get on with life. But I wasn't sure if I wanted to get on with a life which didn't include him. Nonetheless, I allowed myself to be led away; it was beginning to rain anyway.

As soon as I entered the nest I had shared with my mate, the first thing that struck me was how empty it seemed. My mate's bedding was still here and I gave it a sniff, breathing in his scent, all that remained of him now. I thought of all the times we had shared, how we had hoped to spend the rest of our lives together. But that would never happen now; my mate had sacrificed himself to save me.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I thought of my mate, now gone forever. I knew he wouldn't want me to mourn, that he would want me to do as Bibarel had said and get on with life. But I couldn't bear the thought of living without him. I know it's a cliche, but the world felt completely empty; nothing was worth living for any more and I almost wished that I was dead myself.

I hardly slept that night; the nest was too quiet. Normally, I could hear my mate snoring next to me, a sound which had once annoyed me to the point of threatening to evict him from the nest, but which I would have given my tail to hear now. But, with my mate gone, there was nothing but quiet; the only sound I could hear was the sound of my own breathing. Nevertheless, I eventually fell into a fitful sleep, a sleep troubled by dreams in which my mate was in danger, but, every time I tried to reach him, he would move out of my reach.

* * *

The next morning, I staggered out of my nest to find several of the other Pokemon who lived in the forest waiting outside. For a moment, I wondered what they were all doing there. But, then, one of them (a Beautifly) spoke. "Bibarel told us what happened," she said. "And we came to tell you how sorry we are for your loss."

"If there's anything we can do, please let us know," added an Oddish.

I looked at the small Grass/Poison Pokemon, wondering if he or any of the other Pokemon gathered outside my nest truly understood what I was feeling. They could offer as much sympathy as they liked, but, unless they had also lost someone close to them, they couldn't really know what it felt like. They couldn't know the emptiness, the futile longing to have whoever you lost back, even though you know it is impossible. "N - no, there's nothing," I stammered, wanting to keep this as short as possible. I was not in the mood for dealing with other Pokemon right now.

"Are you sure?" asked a Cherrim, looking at me with some concern. "We only want to help."

I glared at her; I knew she meant well, but she hadn't just lost her mate. "I don't need your help," I said shortly. "In fact, why don't you all just leave me alone?" I could hear my voice shaking and feel the tears beginning to trickle down my face. "Go away!" I yelled, as I pushed past the assembly of Pokemon and bolted into the forest.

* * *

I did not stop running until I reached the spot where my mate was buried. Then, I fell to my knees beside the mound of earth and thought of all the times the two of us had shared. Somehow, just being here made me feel as though he was still with me, as though the events of yesterday hadn't happened. I felt almost comforted, but then I remembered that I would never actually do anything with him again, that memories were all I had left of him. I bowed my head and wept.

I don't know how long I stayed there. I know my tears eventually subsided and I was left sitting listlessly on the ground, but I was so wrapped up in my own thoughts that I didn't notice the sun making its passage across the sky. Nor did I notice that I had company until I heard a voice call out.

"Sentret?"

Startled out of my reverie, I looked up. There, perched in the tree beneath which my mate was buried, was a Noctowl. I knew this particular Noctowl well; he was the oldest and wisest Pokemon in the forest. Without waiting for me to reply, he flew down from his perch and landed beside my, rotating his head in the way characteristic of his kind.

"What's up?" he asked me. "You seem unhappy."

"My mate died yesterday," I replied, nodding towards the mound of earth.

"And you think brooding will bring him back to life," added Noctowl. "Well, it won't and you need to accept that."

I sighed. How could I begin to explain? "I know that; it's just that being here makes me feel like he's still with me."

"And he will be - as long as you have memories of him. And nothing can destroy those; they'll last as long as you live. Take comfort from that, Sentret, and carry on with life. That's what your mate would want. He wouldn't want you to waste your life sitting by his grave."

I looked up, recalling how I had come here because I wanted the comfort of being near my mate and this was the closest I could now get. But sitting by the grave of a deceased loved one was, I now realised, a poor substitute for actually having them with you. "You really think so?" I asked.

"I know so," Noctowl replied. "And I also know that the place you'll find comfort is with other Pokemon - living Pokemon. They'll help you get through this, but you have to let them. Will you promise to do that?"

I nodded slowly, realising as I did so how selfish I had been. My neighbours had only wanted to help, but I had told them to go away and leave me alone. I had been so focused on what I was feeling that it hadn't occured to me that what I needed most right then was company. I needed to be with other Pokemon, not spend all my time sitting beside my mate's final resting place. He was dead, but I was alive and I still had living friends who could help me come to terms with this.

* * *

As I made my way back to my nest, I promised myself three things. First, I promised that I would apologise to all the Pokemon whose attempts to comfort me I had rudely brushed off. Not only that, I would treasure the memory of my mate, while doing my best to get on with my own life. Doing so would give me the comfort I needed, even though I knew it would take time for me to recover from what had happened. But this would be the first step.


	6. Break Away

****

Break Away

As a Rapidash, I love to race; the sensation of galloping across the open countryside gives me a sense of exhilaration that is almost impossible to describe in words. For want of a better way of putting it, I feel as if there is a fire within me - not that that's surprising when you consider that I am a Fire Pokemon. Anyway, I love to race and I've been doing so since I was still a Ponyta.

Home for me is a stable just outside Solaceon Town; I've lived here since I was bought by the Kirby family, who don't live in the stable, by the way. They're the human family I live with (in case you couldn't tell) and they live in the house next to the stable. They acquired me as a companion for their daughter, Dannie, to help her get over the death of her Floatzel. From what I've been able to gather, the Floatzel (which Dannie had raised from a Buizel) died suddenly just before she and her parents moved here. Naturally, Dannie was very upset and withdrawn, unable to take an interest in anything, just sitting and staring at a picture of her Floatzel. In the end, her parents decided a new Pokemon might help bring her out of her shell, show her that life still goes on. That's where I come in.

I remember my first site of my new home, a cottage with a paddock and stable attached, offering enough space for a Ponyta or Rapidash to run free. Perhaps that's why Dannie's parents decided to get a Ponyta for their daughter . . . In any case, I was here now and I tossed my head as I was led towards the paddock. They waited for a while to give me chance to settle in, then the woman (as humans call their mares) went up to the house, returning moments later with a human filly - or girl, to use the correct human term.

"Mum, where did that Ponyta come from?" I heard the girl ask.

"She's a present for you. It's been six months since your Floatzel died and . . . Well, your father and I thought it was time you had another Pokemon."

"Maybe I don't want another Pokemon," the girl said glumly, dragging her feet along the path that led to my paddock.

The woman looked at the girl for a moment. "Look, Dannie, you can't mourn forever. That Ponyta won't replace your Floatzel, but I'm sure you'll grow to love her just as much. Come on - at least come and say hello."

"Oh, OK." The girl, Dannie, slowly walked up to the fence around my paddock and stood looking at me. "Um . . . hi, Ponyta. I'm Dannie."

Seeing that she was at least trying to be friendly, I trotted up to her and nudged her hand. She giggled (I heard the woman, Dannie's mother, say something about it being the first time she'd heard Dannie laugh since her Floatzel died) and reached out to pet me. I kept the temperature of my fire low and allowed her to run her hand down the length of my muzzle.

* * *

Over the next few weeks, Dannie and I became friends. She spent all her free time with me and eventually confessed that the reason she had been reluctant to have another Pokemon was because she had been afraid of getting hurt again. "But I don't feel that way anymore," she said. "I'll never forget Floatzel, but now I've got you to look after."

It was at around this time that Dannie and I first got into Pokemon racing. It all started when a boy with a Tauros who was passing through on his way to Solaceon Town saw me galloping around in my paddock. Seeing Dannie standing by the fence, he asked her if I was her Ponyta; when she said I was, he said she should enter me in a Pokemon race. "I think you'd do really well," he told her. He then went on to explain that he was a Pokemon racer himself and that he had ridden his Tauros in many races all over Sinnoh. He'd even travelled to Kanto to take part in the race they hold near Fuchsia City, but lost to Lara Laramie and her Rapidash.

Anyway, after that, Dannie began training me to become a racing Pokemon. She rode me every day and also began working on getting me to learn Agility; she said it would be useful in a race because it would allow me to put on a burst of speed. Eventually, the time came for my first race, one only open to Pokemon in their first evolutionary stage; that meant the range of Pokemon competing was rather narrow, as there are few first-stage Pokemon large enough to carry a human. Dannie and I came second in that race, behind a girl on a Girafarig.

Over the next couple of years, Dannie and I became regulars on the Pokemon racing circuit and amassed many prizes. In time, I evolved, changing from a daintily built Ponyta to a powerful Rapidash capable of reaching speeds of up to 150 mph. To say I was fast would be stating the obvious, like saying the grass is green. And it meant I was now eligible to enter the annual Solaceon to Celestic cross-country race, a race only open to evolved Pokemon.

* * *

It was my first race since I had evolved and I could feel myself brimming with energy as Dannie and I lined up at the start. Many powerful Pokemon were here. I could see a man riding on the back of his Drapion, a woman on an Arcanine, a young boy on a Luxray . . . and so on. Anyway, we were all lined up at the starting point, a field on the outskirts of Solaceon, and I felt like I could race against any opponent and win. Even Entei, Raikou or Suicune . . .

Then, we heard it - the sound of a pistol being fired into the air. That was the signal for the race to begin. Urged on by our riders, the other Pokemon and I surged forward, all eager to be the first to reach Celestic Town. First, though, we would have to cross the gorge which separated the two towns, no big deal for a Rapidash, but I wondered how some of the other Pokemon (such as the Steelix being ridden by a dark-haired boy around the same age as Dannie) would tackle this obstacle.

That, however, would have to wait; first, we had to race across country. I could already see that the woman with the Arcanine had taken an early lead, with a girl on a Meganium in second place. Dannie and I were back in sixth place, a position which didn't do my pride much good; as a Rapidash, I am built for speed. I would have to do something. So, without being told to, I used Agility to bring my speed up, my hooves become a blur of flame as I galloped up the course. I passed the Luxray, the Drapion, a Manectric and the Meganium. Soon, I was drawing level with the Arcanine . . .

At that moment, however, the Arcanine's rider glanced back and saw me gaining on her. "Arcanine! Agility!" she ordered, urging the striped dog-like Pokemon she was riding forward.

"Arcanine may be fast, but a Rapidash is faster," Dannie told me as the Arcanine and his rider put on a burst of speed. "Let's try and catch 'em!"

And I put on a further burst of speed, galloping with all my strength to catch up with the Arcanine. My hooves thundered on the ground and I could feel Dannie clinging onto my reins as I surged forward, the desire to run and run uppermost in my mind. Before long, I had begun to break away from the pack.

* * *

By the time I reached the gorge, only the Arcanine was still in sight; the rest of the Pokemon participating in the race had fallen behind and would now be competing for third place. The woman riding the Arcanine jumped the gorge first, being the nearest, her Arcanine leaping through the air and landing sure-footedly on the far side of the gorge. Then, it was my turn to make the leap.

"Go, Rapidash! Go!" Dannie urged, applying pressure to my flanks with her feet in order to urge me forward. I galloped towards the gorge, building up speed as I went and . . .

I jumped. I jumped as I had never jumped before, launching myself into the air and propelling myself across the gap which separated me from the ground on the far side of the gorge. It felt almost as though I was flying, soaring through the air like Moltres, riding a jet of flames. I could feel the air rushing by me and I was aware of Dannie leaning in towards me, her grip on my reins tightening as I made that leap.

I landed, my hooves absorbing the shock of the impact, on the far side of the gorge and wasted no time in galloping after the Arcanine and his rider. Glancing back, I could see the Luxray and the Manectric approaching the gorge, but they were several lengths behind and I doubted they would be able to catch up now, especially since neither of them was able to learn Agility. This was now a two-Pokemon race between myself and Arcanine.

* * *

Arcanine and I galloped into the home straight, both of us running so fast that we hardly seemed to touch the ground. Soon, the finish line was in sight and our riders urged us towards it. As I galloped, my mind was focused on only one thing: the post at the outskirts of Celestic Town which marked the finish line. We raced towards it, repeatedly trading the lead as we did so, neither of us willing to give ground. In the end, we both crossed the finish line at the same time, meaning it would be a photo finish to determine the winner.

In the end, it was determined that I was slightly ahead of Arcanine when we crossed the finish line; I had won my first race as an evolved Pokemon. As I stood beside Dannie while she was presented with her trophy (a giant golden Poke Ball) I felt as though I could take on any challenge.


	7. Heaven

****

Heaven

I did not see the car coming towards me until it was too late. Then, before I could even try to dodge out of the way, it struck me, sending me flying several feet. I vaguely heard Tim, my trainer, cry out in horror before I was violently slammed against the tarmac.

What followed was unlike anything I had ever experienced before. I woke up and, at first, I thought I must have blacked out. But, then, I noticed something strange; I seemed to be floating and, when I looked at my paw, I found that I could see straight through it. What was going on here? Why was I floating like this? And why was I able to see straight through my paw?

Glancing back, I saw Tim kneeling beside something lying on the road, something small and grey. I looked closer - and had the biggest shock I had ever had. The thing Tim was kneeling beside was a Poochyena. And that Poochyena was me. But how could that be? How I be here and lying on the road at the same time? While I pondered these questions, I became aware of something else; Tim was crying, tears tracing their way down his face.

I hated to see my trainer like this, so I went up to him and licked him on the hand. This was a gesture that had always been rewarded with a good scratch behind the ears, but, this time, Tim didn't even look up. In fact, he seemed totally unaware of my presence. "Tim," I thought, "why can't you see me? I'm right next to you."

Suddenly, the clouds seemed to part, revealing a shaft of golden light which shone directly on me. Then, as I stared transfixed, something floated down on that shaft of light; I couldn't see what it was at first, but, as it drew closer, I saw that it was a Pokemon which resembled a small pink cat with a long tail. I remembered that Tim had once told me a story about this Pokemon; he said it was one of the Legendaries, meaning few had actually seen it. There were several such Pokemon, but this one was, I recalled, called Mew.

"Mew?" I asked. "What are you doing here?"

The Mew didn't answer. Instead, he pointed to me and I suddenly found myself being drawn into the shaft of light.

* * *

"Er . . . I hope you don't mind me asking," I said to the Mew once we were several feet above the ground and getting higher all the time, "but where are we going?"

The Mew turned to me. "I am escorting you to the afterlife," was all he said.

"The . . . afterlife?" I echoed. But that would mean I was dead, that I had been killed when that car hit me. Was that why Tim had been crying? I thought of how I had been with him ever since I was a pup, how we had been trained together, how I had been nearing the time when I would evolve into Mightyena. If what I had just been told was true, that would never happen now.

"Yes," the Mew said. "You are dead. But your spirit lives on, as does the spirit of every Pokemon that had gone before you. That is the one thing about you that cannot be destroyed."

At that moment, I found myself floating down to land in a vast field filled with all kinds of Pokemon. Every species I had ever heard of - and a few I hadn't - seemed to be here, all looking relaxed and carefree. I turned to the Mew, who was still floating beside me. "Are all these Pokemon . . .?"

"Yes, they're all dead. They are the spirits of the Pokemon I spoke of, the ones who have gone before you." Then, the Mew looked at me for a moment. "I have to go now. My function was simply to bring you here; you must explore this place for yourself."

"Mew! Wait!" I called. But it was too late. The Mew had vanished and I was left alone in this place inhabited by the spirits of dead Pokemon.

* * *

Since there seemed to be nothing else I could do, I decided to go and talk to the other Pokemon. So I tentatively made my way over to the one nearest to me, a Chikorita who sat beside a small lake, watching as several Water Pokemon played in the water. It looked like such an ordinary scene that, for a moment, I found it hard to believe that every Pokemon here was dead.

Anyway, I went up to Chikorita. "Um . . . hi," I ventured. "So how did you die?" Rather a dumb question, I know, but what _do_ you ask the first creature you meet in the afterlife?

She looked at me. "I caught a virus which affects Grass Type Pokemon. My trainer took me to the Pokemon Centre and Nurse Joy tried to save me, but . . . Well, here I am." She spoke about it in a very matter-of-fact tone, as if she had accepted her own death long ago. As for myself, I wasn't sure if I ever would. In any case, Chikorita's next question was: "And what about you?"

I sighed, wondering where to begin. "It was a car," I said finally. "My trainer was throwing a ball for me to catch and bring back to him. But it went astray and landed in the middle of the road. I tried to retrieve it, but . . ." I broke off, recalling the terror I had felt as the car came towards me, how I had been unable to get out of the way in time. "I can't believe I'm never going to see my trainer again," I added, staring down at the ground.

"What do you mean? Of course you'll see your trainer again!" The expression on Chikorita's face was one of complete incredulity.

"But how can I?" I asked. "I mean . . ."

She cut me off before I could finish speaking. "Because every Pokemon here will be reunited with their trainers one day. Those of us who had trainers, that is. The rest will . . . Well, I can't exactly say "live", but they will stay here for all eternity."

* * *

Chikorita told me a great deal about this place, this afterlife as Mew had called it. I learned that it had habitats for all seventeen Pokemon Types, even Ghost Types because, despite their name, they aren't really ghosts and can die. However, they do have very long lifespans; one of the first Pokemon I met in this place was a Dusknoir who had belonged to eleven generations of the same family. Anyway, there were habitats for every Pokemon Type - a mountain range for Rock Types, a forest for Bug Types . . . and so on. I myself, felt most at home on the plains, the natural habitat of a Poochyena or Mightyena.

In the middle of it all, there was a pool through which we could see into the world of the living. Every Pokemon here was expected to look into this pool at least once, a sort of rite of passage. When my turn came, I was led towards the still, clear waters and told to peer into their depths. I obeyed, wondering just what it was I was going to see.

What I saw was Tim, kneeling beside something on the ground. That something was a small statue in the shape of a Poochyena, its paws resting on a stone slab. As I watched, Tim laid a small bunch of flowers on the slab, then wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. I turned to Mew, the one who had escorted me to this spot, a questioning look in my eyes.

"That," Mew told me, "is your final resting place. Your trainer buried your body and placed that statue to mark the spot - he visits it every day."

"Will he be all right?" I asked, thinking about how sad Tim had seemed as he laid the flowers on my grave.

"Yes," replied Mew. "One day, he will acquire another Pokemon and grow to love it. Maybe another Poochyena, maybe not. But, whatever happens, he will never forget you."

* * *

Time passed, though I was hardly aware of it because nothing here ever changed. Well, apart from new Pokemon arriving and some of the Pokemon that were here already being reunited with the spirits of their recently deceased trainers. But, aside from that, everything here was constant. The Pokemon here remained fixed at whatever evolutionary stage they had reached when they died; I would never know what it was like to be a Mightyena and would remain a Poochyena for all eternity.

I had been here for a very long time when I saw it. A figure was descending from the sky, a blurry object, roughly in the shape of a human. Then, as I looked closer, I began to make out features that had once been familiar to me and still were, despite the passage of time. I saw an old man with white hair, but, in his blue-grey eyes, I recognised the boy who had been my trainer.

"Tim!" I shouted, though all he would be able to hear was an excited yelp. I ran towards him, just as I used to when I was alive. He knelt down and, for the first time since I was hit by that car, I felt his hand stroking the fur on my head. As he did so, I recalled what Chikorita had told me when I first arrived here, that I would one day see my trainer again. Now, it seemed her prediction had come true, but I couldn't help wondering what Tim had been doing in the meantime; after all, I hadn't seen him since I looked into the pool and saw him laying flowers on my grave.

For now, though, all that mattered was that we were finally together again.


	8. Innocence

****

Innocence

"Mama!"

I was woken from my sleep by the high-pitched voice of an Igglybuff calling to me. I yawned, stretching my soft pink body and opening my blue-green eyes to find myself face-to-face with a small pink ball - my daughter, Sakura. Or at least that's the nickname our trainer, Ellie, gave the Igglybuff that hatched from the very first egg I ever laid. I'm a Wigglytuff and my nickname is Tami; Ellie gave me that name when she caught me near Mount Moon back when I was still a Jigglypuff.

Anyway, my daughter (the result of a visit to a Pokemon Daycare I made with the Azumarill belonging to Josh, the boy who travels with Ellie) woke me up, something which did not please me in the least. "Sakura," I groaned, "go back to sleep."

She ignored me. "Mama," she said again, "where're Ellie and Josh?"

I looked around, noting that, while Josh's Azumarill was dozing peacefully with his back resting against a tree, there was no sign of Ellie and Josh anywhere in the campsite. But I knew they must be somewhere nearby and I also had a fair idea what they would be doing; lately, they'd started to become more than just friends, more than just two teens who happened to be travelling together on a Pokemon journey. And this wasn't the first time they'd left the campsite together; they'd done the same thing the last two nights running.

The first time this happened, I didn't think too much of it. But, on the next night, my curiousity got the better of me and I decided to follow them. I eventually found them standing under a tree and kissing like there was no tomorrow, their bodies pressed very close together. Then, as I watched, Ellie reached up and began to undo Josh's shirt . . .

I saw everything that happened next, but it's something about which I'd prefer not to go into details.

* * *

On that occasion, Sakura was still asleep when I returned to the camp, followed shortly afterwards by Josh and Ellie, both of whom seemed to be in an unusually good mood. Now, however, she was wide awake and full of questions. "C'mon, Mama!" she piped up. "Where'd they go?"

I paused, wondering what I was going to say to her. "Maybe they just wanted some time by themselves," I said at last, hoping that would still the inquisitive Igglybuff's questions.

"But why?" Sakura asked next.

I knew perfectly well why Josh and Ellie wanted to be by themselves, but I didn't feel Sakura was ready to know about such things yet. She was just a baby, at a stage in her life when she was filled with innocence and wonder; I did not think it was right to spoil that by being too frank about . . . certain matters. It was a subject I'd been planning to avoid discussing until after she had evolved into a Jigglypuff.

"I'll tell you later," I promised, gently pushing her away and hoping she would take the hint.

"But I wanna know _now_!"

Realising Sakura was never going to stop pestering me, I sighed. Clearly, it was time to give her a talk about the Pidgeys and the Beedrills - and I didn't have to go into details. Maybe, if I just told her about how humans, like Pokemon, sometimes like being with each other . . .

* * *

I turned to face the small Igglybuff sitting next to me. "Well, Sakura," I began, "Josh and Ellie really like each other, in the same way Daddy and I like each other." I nodded towards the sleeping Azumarill, from whom Sakura had inherited Water Pulse, a move she would otherwise have had to be taught by a human. "And that means they want to spend time alone together," I added.

"Why? Don't they like us anymore?"

"Oh, they like us, but they don't want Pokemon around them when they're . . . doing what they're doing," I replied.

"But what _are_ they doing?"

I was beginning to think Sakura would never run out of questions, that she would not stop pestering me until I told her what it was Josh and Ellie were doing away from the campsite. But, like I already said, it was something I did not want Sakura to know about until after she had evolved. For now, it was enough for her to know that Josh and Ellie liked each other, so they sometimes wanted to spend time alone together; going into details about what they did at such moments could wait. "Something that's none of your business," I said finally, hoping that would put an end to the matter. "So stop asking questions about it."

"Then I'm gonna go look for them," Sakura piped up. With that, she got up and toddled off in the direction of the trees.

"You are not!" I grabbed hold of her before she could make a break for it. Quite apart from the fact that I didn't want her innocence spoiled by witnessing what Josh and Ellie did when they were alone together, she had no way of knowing which direction the two humans had gone. It would be all too easy for a little Pokemon like her to get lost in this forest. "You're going to stay in camp like a good little Igglybuff. And no arguments."

Sakura knew I meant what I said, so she sat down. But she kept gazing at the perimeter of the campsite and I knew she was waiting until I turned my back for a moment, allowing her to slip away unobserved. At the very least, she might start up her litany of questions again. I would have to distract her and the only solution that suggested itself was to change the subject to something more appropriate for her evolutionary stage.

"Why don't I tell you a story?" I suggested. "The one about the Clefairy and the Moon Stone - you've always liked that."

Sakura nodded, her curiousity about Josh and Ellie forgotten for the moment. "OK."

And so I began to tell Sakura her favourite story, one I heard from my own mother when I was an Igglybuff myself. It was my favourite too and it was also how I learned that I would have to touch (or be touched) by a Moon Stone if I was to evolve into my final evolutionary form. "Once upon a time . . ."

* * *

By the time Josh and Ellie returned to the campsite, holding onto each other's hands and looking as though they only had eyes for each other, I had finished telling the story and Sakura had fallen asleep. I gazed at her, a sweet little pink ball, and thought of how innocent she looked. Like all mothers I wanted to preserve that innocence until she was a little older and allow her to enjoy being a baby Pokemon. I did not think it was time for a frank discussion about human (or Pokemon) mating activities, but, as I looked down at her, I realised it was only a matter of time before I would have to have that discussion with her.

My daughter, my little Igglybuff, was beginning to grow up.


	9. Drive

****

Drive

I could feel the wind blowing around my ears as I sat in the back seat of my trainer's red convertible. Directly in front of me, Mark (my trainer) sat in the driving seat, a blonde female human in the seat beside him; her name was Sarah and she and Mark were, to use the human expression "an item". They had been "an item" for nearly a year, ever since they met during the Indigo League Tournament.

I was still a Riolu then, but, during a battle on the Rock Field (in which I faced a Sudowoodo belonging to a dark-haired female trainer) I evolved into Lucario. Mark won that match and, in the next round, he was drawn to face Sarah on the Ice Field; as a part-Fighting Type, I am strong against the Ice Type Pokemon likely to be used on that Field, so Mark chose me for that match, along with his Glalie and Quagsire. Anyway, to cut a long story short, we managed to win against Sarah as well, although I did get knocked out by her Empoleon.

Afterwards, Mark and Sarah met up outside the arena, where she wished him good luck in his next match, while he congratulated her for putting up such a good fight. That was the start of their friendship, a friendship which was reinforced further when they both decided that, after the Indigo League Tournament was over, they would be heading over the border into Johto. I can't remember which of them suggested travelling together, but, whoever it was, I had spent the last year travelling the Johto League circuit with my trainer and "his girl". Not that Sarah's going to thank me for saying that; she insists that she's her "own person".

Anyway, Mark was driving us somewhere, though he wouldn't say where he was going, just that we would have to "wait until we got there".

* * *

"Where are we going anyway?" Sarah asked after a while.

Mark's answer was the same as it had been the last umpteen times she had asked this question. "You'll see when you get there."

"Wherever "there" is. I've been checking the map and this road doesn't take us anywhere near any Pokemon Gyms."

"Oh, really?" Mark said, with mock amazement. "I didn't know girls could read maps."

"You male chauvinist!" Sarah exclaimed. "Why, I oughta . . .!" But her tone of voice told me that she was only teasing. She and Mark often did this kind of thing, pretending they were arguing when they were really having a bit of fun with each other. This was a strange habit I'd observed since the two of them started getting closer; for some reason, they would say things to each other that sounded like insults but were really a way of showing affection. Of course, I haven't been around many human couples, so I can't say if all of them do this.

"All right! Sorry!" Mark said, in a tone of voice which showed that he understood they were only teasing each other.

I left them to it and sat back in my seat to enjoy the ride. Most of Mark's Pokemon (and all of Sarah's) were in their Poke Balls, but I was Mark's "special favourite", so he liked to have me out of my Ball as much as possible. That was why I was currently sitting in the back seat of Mark's car as he drove Sarah to wherever we were going. And, in case you're wondering, Sarah does have a "special favourite" Pokemon, a Rapidash. But you can't have a horse loose in a car, so Rapidash was inside his Poke Ball.

Of course, Mark will put me in my Ball just before he and Sarah do certain things, but I'm not going to go into _that_.

* * *

As a Lucario, I have the ability to sense auras. It's not quite the same as the way a Psychic Pokemon senses auras, but I can tell roughly what humans are thinking and feeling by looking at the . . . I suppose the correct term would be "energy waves" that emanate from all living things. These "waves" are invisible to most living things, but, for a Psychic Pokemon or a Lucario, they can reveal a great deal about a person or Pokemon.

It's hard to explain how one reads auras, especially when you're talking to someone who more than likely can't do it themselves. But I have found that they are often colour-coded based on whichever emotion is currently dominant in the subject's mind. For example, anger or passion tend to result in a bright red aura, whereas the aura of someone who is calm is usually green. Right now, Mark's aura was grey, the colour of secrecy, because of the surprise (whatever it was) he had in store for Sarah at the end of this drive down a country road. As for Sarah, her aura was a strange mix of colours, which told me (even if she hadn't asked out loud where they were going several times) that she was both curious and excited to know what that surprise was.

Anyway, I can read auras. No-one really knows how my kind do it; we're not Psychic Pokemon and we can't learn any Psychic Attacks naturally. It's just an ability which a Riolu develops when it evolves into Lucario, although learning to interpret what different auras mean does take practice. But, nearly a year on from when I evolved, I am now fairly proficient, although there are some secrets hidden within auras that I can't interpret, secrets which only a Psychic Pokemon can access.

* * *

Presently, Mark slowed to a stop and switched off the engine. "Come on," he told Sarah, unfastening his seat belt and climbing out of the car. "It isn't far."

"What isn't?" Sarah asked, as she undid her own seat belt and followed him.

"What I wanted to show you. Come on. You too, Lucario," he said to me, noting that I hadn't moved from my seat. When Mark said that, I felt a pang of excitement - this thing he wanted to show Sarah was something he wanted to show me as well! "In fact," he added, "why don't we show _all_ our Pokemon?"

"OK," said Sarah. She took six red-and-white Poke Balls out of her bag and released her Empoleon, Rapidash, Ampharos, Cacturne, Marowak and Vileplume. At the same time, Mark let out his Pokemon, my team mates - Donphan, Quagsire, Glalie, Jolteon and Tangrowth. Together, the fourteen of us (two humans and twelve Pokemon) walked a little way - or floated, in Glalie's case. Anyway, we headed in the direction Mark indicated, all of use curious to know why he had brought us here. Well, except Mark, since he was the one who had driven us to this spot in the first place.

* * *

Then, as we rounded a corner, we saw it - a lake so vast that it was impossible to see the far shore. "That's the lake my grandad told me about," Mark whispered to Sarah. "Now, watch!"

We all watched and waited in silence, hardly daring to breathe for fear of disturbing the wonder of this place. It's hard to explain, but there was something . . . magical about that lake, even though (apart from its size) it looked no different from any other lake I had seen. Then, I saw it: a large shape racing across the water, actually running on the surface. It moved so fast that I hardly had time to study it closely, but I saw enough of it to know that it was a large blue Pokemon, a quadruped, with what looked like a purple cloud and white streamers billowing behind it. Almost as soon as it appeared, it was gone, running across the lake as easily as if it had been on a solid surface.

So _this_ was what Mark had driven us here to see. None of us could make a sound for several seconds afterward, but, then, Sarah broke the silence. "Was that . . .?"

"Yes," replied Mark, slipping his hand into hers. "That was Suicune."


	10. Breathe Again

****

Breathe Again

"I need a stretcher for a small Fire Type Pokemon! Stat!"

Within a few minutes of hearing Nurse Joy give the order, I emerged, a white nurse's cap on my head, pushing something which looked like a hospital trolley before me. The only obvious difference between this trolley and the ones found in human hospitals was that this one was much smaller. It had also been treated with a special fire-proof material, which meant Fire Pokemon could be placed on it without the risk of them accidentally setting it alight.

I looked at the young human female standing a few feet away, a Chimchar cradled in her arms. The little monkey was clearly in a bad way, its eyes closed, its orange fur scorched. I needed no-one to tell me that it had been in a tough battle and come off worst; I'd seen Pokemon in this state before. Working at a Pokemon Centre meant I was often exposed to the aftermath of Pokemon battles. Trainers would bring in their injured Pokemon for Nurse Joy to heal, waiting in the reception while she bandaged a Bidoof, gave Potions to a Pikachu . . . or whatever the Pokemon brought in happened to be.

My job was to help Nurse Joy look after the sick and injured Pokemon that are brought to us. As a Chansey, I have an innately compassionate nature, one which makes my kind ideal as Pokemon nurses. Even a wild Chansey will instinctively stop to help a Pokemon in need, offering them the (infertile) egg she carries in her pouch as sustenance. And, somewhere down the line, humans must have realised this trait could prove useful and started training us to help out in Pokemon Centres.

Anyway, the girl with the Chimchar placed the Fire Pokemon on the stretcher and looked down at it. "Please," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "Please make my Chimchar better."

Nurse Joy gave her a kindly smile, one I had seen her give many trainers who brought sick and injured Pokemon to the Pokemon Centre. "Don't worry - I'll take good care of it."

* * *

I wheeled the Chimchar into the treatment room, where Nurse Joy lifted her onto the table and we set to work. I did not know exactly how the Chimchar came to be in this state, but that didn't matter right now; the most important thing was treating its injuries and restoring it to full health. Hopefully, when it was better, I would be able to ask it what had happened, what Pokemon it had been battling to get into this state.

Closer inspection revealed the Chimchar to be a female. Not that it was really relevant to the situation at hand, but at least I could now refer to her as something other than "it". Anyway, I helped Nurse Joy to clean her up, thinking as I did so of the girl out in the lobby, waiting for news of her Chimchar. From what I'd seen of her, she was clearly one of those trainers who care deeply about their Pokemon. Unlike some I could mention, who seem to think injury is a sign of weakness . . .

"Chansey," Nurse Joy said, her words cutting through my thoughts, "is the injection ready?"

In reply, I turned round from where I had been preparing a syringe filled with a mixture of Full Heal and Potion; though both these Pokemon medicines can be sprayed onto a Pokemon, Nurse Joy (the one I worked with) had found that they could also be combined and given intravenously. I handed the syringe to Nurse Joy, who pulled the cover off the needle and moved towards the Chimchar. She stroked the small Pokemon's head, trying to reassure her as she prepared to administer the injection. The needle pricked the Chimchar's skin and the plunger was slowly pressed down . . .

* * *

I don't know how long we had been working on the Chimchar when something started to go wrong. Suddenly, without any warning whatsoever, she began jerking rapidly, her body moving at random. Faint moans issued from her mouth, prompting Nurse Joy to look at me with a "this is serious" expression on her face. "Chansey, help me!" Nurse Joy ordered, her normally perky voice taking on a somewhat harder edge.

I looked at her and, in Chansey language, asked what was wrong with the Chimchar.

"She's . . ." But Nurse Joy's words were cut off as the Chimchar suddenly stopped breathing and lay still. But I knew this didn't necessarily mean the end; a Pokemon which stops breathing can often be made to start breathing again, especially if there is still a heartbeat. Even without a heartbeat, there is still a chance, but there is no time to lose. Already, Nurse Joy was checking the Chimchar for even the faintest sign of a pulse, the slightest indication that the monkey's heart was still beating.

"No pulse or respiration!" Nurse Joy said, speaking with a practiced air. "Chansey, give me a hand!"

I knew exactly what she wanted me to do; this wasn't the first time this had happened to one of the Pokemon that had been brought to us. If we moved quickly, there was a chance that the Chimchar, though she currently seemed to be dead, could be revived. Of course, our attempts at resucitation weren't always successful, but Nurse Joy and I never allowed ourselves to think of those Pokemon that didn't make it. What mattered was the Pokemon we were currently treating.

* * *

The Chimchar was turned onto her back and a respirator mask was placed over her face. It would be my job to pump air into her lungs using a special bag attached to the mask, while Nurse Joy massaged the Chimchar's chest in a bid to get her heart beating again. All other thoughts left our minds; the only thing that mattered to either of us was the Pokemon lying on the treatment table, caught in the limbo between life and death. It was our job to do everything we could to bring her back to the world of the living. If we failed . . .

But, like I said before, we didn't allow ourselves to think of that possibility. I focused all my attention on rhythmically squeezing the bag in a bid to pump air into the Chimchar's lungs, unaware of anything else apart from the sound of Nurse Joy counting under her breath.

"One . . . two . . . three . . ."

We worked frantically, both of us willing the Chimchar to revive, to start breathing on her own. We were so focused on our attempts to save her that time seemed to pass us by, though we were unaware of its passage. But it can't have been more than a few minutes at the most. Therefore, I can't tell you precisely how long we had been battling to save the life of the small Fire Pokemon before she suddenly gasped and, to our relief, we saw her chest steadily begin to rise and fall as she started to breathe again.

Nurse Joy looked at me and smiled. "Well, Chansey," she said brightly. "Another patient saved. Take this Chimchar to the recovery room, while I go and tell the trainer the good news."

The Chimchar was placed back on the stretcher and I took hold of the handle to wheel it into the recovery room, where she could rest and recuperate. As I did so, I couldn't help feeling grateful that I wasn't heading in the opposite direction, for that led to the Pokemon Centre mortuary. This little Chimchar, however, had lived to fight another day; thanks to Nurse Joy and myself, she should be up and battling again in no time.

Meanwhile, Nurse Joy opened the door and went out into the lobby. Moments later, I heard her say: "Your Chimchar's going to be just fine."


	11. Memory

****

Memory

My trainer and I have been together for a great number of years, but I still remember the day he came to Professor Elm's lab and chose me as his partner as though it were yesterday.

I was just a little Chikorita then, a small green Pokemon with a leaf growing out of my head and what looked like a necklace of seeds around my neck. And my trainer, an old man now, was a young boy eager for adventure. The first time I saw him, he was wearing dark blue jeans and a red t-shirt, with a baseball cap perched on his head. Even after all this time, I haven't forgotten. Or is it because most male Pokemon trainers seem to wear some variation on this outfit?

In any case, he picked me as his partner, as the Pokemon with which he would, in his words, "conquer the Johto League". His name, as I soon learned, was Jake and he came from a long line of Pokemon trainers; his father had been a trainer, as had his father before him and _his_ father . . . Well, you get the idea. Anyway, Jake and I then left New Bark Town and set off on the road to Cherrygrove City, the first of many places we would visit on our travels.

* * *

We hadn't gone far before we found ourselves confronted by a boy about the same age as Jake. This boy had short brown hair and a smug expression, the sort borne by those who think they are "better than everyone". He and Jake stared at each other for several seconds, before he spoke. "Well, Jakey, looks like you picked a wimpy Chikorita."

"Chikorita is _not_ wimpy!" Jake shot back. "So get out of our way - we have Gyms to conquer!"

"You'll be lucky. Everyone knows Chikorita is weak against Falkner's Pokemon, so if you don't have sufficient back-up . . ."

But the arrogant brat - I'm not going to say what word I originally planned to use there - never had chance to finish his sentence. Jake immediately marched towards him and stood with his face inches from that of the boy who had been taunting him. "In that case, Thomas, why don't you show me which Pokemon _you're_ going to use?"

"Oh, I'll do better than that," the boy, Thomas, said, pulling a red-and-white Poke Ball out of his pocket. "I'll take you on in a Pokemon battle - and I'll win!" With that, he pulled back his arm and threw the Poke Ball, which burst open with a flash and revealed a small Pokemon with fur which was black on top and yellow underneath. As I watched, flames suddenly erupted from its back. A Cyndaquil, I realised, the same Cyndaquil I knew back at Professor Elm's lab.

"Neat Cyndaquil, huh?" said Thomas, looking at Jake as though he expected praise or, at least, agreement. "So let's see what your wimpy Chikorita can do against it."

"Typical," Jake muttered to me. "He's only gone and picked the Pokemon that has an advantage over mine. Well, we'll show him! Won't we, Chikorita?"

I nodded and tossed my head as I took up a fighting stance.

* * *

Thomas gave Jake and me a look of mock pity. "Since I'm obviously going to win, I've decided to let you make the first move, Jakey."

_"Don't_ call me "Jakey"!" Jake shot back, his eyes narrowed. "Chikorita! Tackle Attack!" He pointed in the direction of the Cyndaquil standing a few feet away. From where I was standing, I couldn't see if his fire was still "on"; if it was, I would have to keep clear of its back. Keeping my head down, I began to run towards the Cyndaquil, aiming to knock him flying.

"Tackle back, Cyndaquil!" Thomas commanded his Pokemon. And Cyndaquil began a charge towards me. We collided, then sprang apart, both of us breathing heavily. Of course, because we had only just started training, neither of us knew any really powerful Attacks yet, but that didn't mean this was any easy battle. Thomas's Cyndaquil was fast and his Tackles were powerful, especially considering that this was his first battle.

As I was getting ready to make yet another charge, I heard Thomas give a command he hadn't given before. "Cyndaquil! Smokescreen!" In response, Cyndaquil opened his mouth and exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, completely obscuring him from view. I was totally flustered; I knew the Fire Pokemon was there somewhere, but I couldn't see precisely where he was and I knew that, in the meantime, he would be getting ready for his attack on me.

"You can do this, Chikorita!" Jake called from behind me. "Just concentrate and you can find that Cyndaquil!"

I struggled to see through the cloud of smoke which obscured my opponent, thinking as I did so that we could do with a Pidgey to clear the smoke with its Gust. Then, I saw it - the outline of the Cyndaquil, just visible in the smoke. It was now or never. Trying not to inhale any of the smoke (which was harmless but smelled unpleasant) I began a charge directly through the clouds. Seconds later, I felt myself collide with something: I did not need anyone to tell me that it was the Cyndaquil.

To cut a long story short, I managed to win that battle - which seemed to please Thomas no end. Incidentally, I'm being sarcastic when I say that. Anyway, Thomas scowled and recalled his fainted Cyndaquil. Then, as he walked away, his parting shot was:

"You won't beat me next time, Jakey! By then, my Cyndaquil will know some Fire moves and I'll be able to roast your wimpy Chikorita!"

Jake looked down at me. "Come on, Chikorita," he said, as I smiled up at him. "If we're going to beat him again, we'll need to catch a few more Pokemon."

* * *

I later learned that the situation between Jake and Thomas was commonplace among Pokemon trainers: two rival trainers, both starting their Pokemon journeys on the same day. One of them, almost invariably the more competitive of the two, ends up choosing the Pokemon which has a Type advantage over the one chosen by the other trainer. In fact, it's so commonplace that it's become something of a cliche.

Anyway, as Jake and I set off on the road to Cherrygrove City, we both knew we would have our work cut out if we were going to keep one step ahead of Thomas and his Cyndaquil. We would have to add a few more Pokemon to our party, not just to provide me with back-up in future encounters with Thomas but also to give Jake a fighting chance against Falkner and his birds. And, then, they (and I) would need plenty of training in order to be ready when the time came.

But, rookies as we were, we both knew we could do it. At the very least, we were going to try.

* * *

That, then, I what I remember of the first day Jake and I spent together. And, as we travelled, days turned into weeks, then weeks into months, then months into years. We've been together for a long time now and I have many memories of all the adventures we've had together - battles won and lost, travelling from city to city, other Pokemon we encountered, the point when I evolved into Bayleef and, later, when I became a Meganium.

We're both long since retired now. Jake is an old man, his joints stiff, his hair white. And I'm no spry youngster either; I no longer have the energy to battle other Pokemon, though Jake's wife has taught me to help her out in the garden. As a Grass Type Pokemon, this suits me down to the ground and I like nothing better than sunning myself among the flowers.

But something I love almost as much is reminiscing about the old days, when Jake and I travelled together as trainer and Pokemon.


	12. Insanity

****

Insanity

Humans . . .

The very thought of that species always sent me insane with rage; I could never forget how, when I was still a Magikarp, a human had betrayed and rejected me. We Gyarados are famous (some might say "infamous" is a better word) for our violent natures, though human-trained Gyarados can generally be taught to overcome this. In my case, however, it was like there was a fire inside me, a fire which made me want to attack all humans. As far as I was concerned, humans were good for nothing.

It wasn't always like this. The human who caught me as a Magikarp tried to train me, promised me we would "go places". But, of course, I could only learn three Attacks (one of which was completely useless in battle) while I was at that evolutionary stage. The human (I refuse to call him "my human" or even say his name) was therefore forced to keep putting me into battle, then withdrawing me immediately and replacing me with a Pokemon that could actually fight. In the end, he grew so tired of waiting for me to evolve that he took a boat out to sea and released me into the water.

I didn't think much of it at first; he often let me out of my Poke Ball for a quick splash around. But, when he pointedly turned his back on me and prepared to turn the boat around, I knew something was up. I tried jumping back into the boat, but his only response was to grab hold of me and throw me straight back into the water.

"Get lost, Magicrap!" he yelled. "If you're not gonna evolve, what use are you to anyone?" With that, he turned his back on me again and, before I could even think about jumping into the boat a second time, he was speeding away. I had been betrayed, thrown away like a piece of rubbish.

* * *

As the human I had always thought of as a friend sped out of my life, I was overwhelmed by feelings of rage. How _dare_ he do this to me? And all because he couldn't be bothered to wait for me to evolve . . . I hated him and wanted to make him suffer for what he had done to me. But what could a Magikarp do? How could I, a Pokemon well-known for being the weakest species in existence, ever get my revenge?

Suddenly, I felt it. My body felt as though it was glowing and growing longer and longer, until the red fish I had been was gone, replaced by a huge blue serpent with powerful jaws. I had evolved into Gyarados, but the human who caught me wasn't there to see it. Because he had abandoned me . . .

For a moment, I wondered if the feelings of betrayal and rejection had somehow triggered my evolution. Probably not, though; as far as I knew, no Pokemon species evolved because they hated their trainers. However, what I did know was that I was never going to trust humans again, not after the way he had treated me. They would pay! The whole perfidious species would pay!

* * *

So, when a shadow overhead alerted me to the fact that another human vessel was nearby, I didn't hesitate. Roaring loudly, I reared up out of the water, prompting the humans watching from the vessel to start screaming and shouting about the "mad Gyarados". Well, I'd soon show them what a mad Gyarados could do, starting with a quick taste of Dragon Rage.

Taking a deep breath, I exhaled a large tornado and directed it at the boat, sending it spinning into the air. Then, I sent it crashing down, making sure it hit the water as hard as possible. One of the humans in the boat ended up in the water, not that I cared; as far as I was concerned, _all_ humans had to be made to suffer. I trusted a human once, a human who betrayed me, and there was no way I was going to make that mistake again. Hate - pure, unadulterated hate was the only emotion I was going to feel where humans were concerned.

Anyway, I wasn't finished yet, not by a long way. Swimming at full speed, I rammed the vessel with all my strength and chomped through the wood with my powerful jaws. As I did so, I imagined that I was biting the one who betrayed me clean in two, a fate he richly deserved. A fate all humans richly deserved . . . I did not realise it, but I was losing all perspective; hatred for all humans, and one human in particular, was dominating my mind to the exclusion of all else. All I knew was that any human who ventured near me would feel the full force of my anger.

For a time, I was able to satisfy my lust for revenge by attacking more human vessels. But, gradually, I began to find that doing so no longer gave me the same surge of excitement, that it was all too easy. If these humans were really going to pay, I would have to show them my full, unbridled fury. I would have to trash one of their settlements.

* * *

So I set out, following the ocean currents to the nearest area of dry land, the natural habit of humans, those treacherous humans I loathed so much. I had not seen dry land for a long time, not since . . . But you know about that already. I did not stop to question whether I would be better off just leaving the humans alone and trying to make a life for myself as a wild Gyarados. As far as I was concerned, revenge was the only thing that mattered.

After swimming for the better part of a day, I reached the slope which divides dry land from the sea. Without a moment's hesitation, I reared up out of the water like an avenging god of the ocean who bursts forth on a shower of sea spray. There were the humans, the species I hated so much that it drove me insane. They were shouting and screaming at the sight of me - good, it meant I had put them into a state of panic. That, however, was just for starters; my desire for revenge would not be satifisfied until I had totally flattened this place.

Abruptly, I turned and fired a Hyperbeam. A blinding golden beam shot out of my mouth and struck the nearest building, setting it on fire; I did not know if there were any humans inside and, if there were, I didn't care. In my crazed mind, all that mattered was that humans were the enemy and the whole species had to be made to suffer for what one of their kind had done to me. With that in mind, I fired off two more Hyperbeams, taking out two more buildings. Destroy - that one word was the only thought which entered my mind as I launched Attack after Attack, mad with rage, driven by a desire for revenge.

I saw the humans panicking and trying to get clear of my Attacks. Ha! Did they think that, because I was a Water Pokemon, I couldn't battle on land? Well, I'd soon show them! Water Pokemon can battle on land if they have to, although it isn't easy for those that don't have feet. Also, Gyarados are part Flying Type, even though they cannot learn any Flying Type moves.

I took to the air, taking off from the surface of the ocean. Then, single-minded in my insanity, I flew off in the direction of the human settlement, the words "destroy the humans" echoing in my mind.

* * *

Looking down at the street below, I fired a continuous Hyperbeam, slicing clean through the ground and sending at least one of those perfidious humans into the afterlife. It did not matter to me that I had destroyed a life; all I cared about was getting revenge. A human had betrayed and rejected me - and that meant the whole species had to be made to suffer. I would not - could not - rest until this entire human settlement was reduced to nothing.

But I was so wrapped up in my desire for revenge that I did not notice when a single human decided to stop fleeing and take a stand against the "mad Gyarados". Not until I suddenly found myself frozen in mid-air . . . I looked down and saw a man standing there with an Alakazam beside him, the Psychic Pokemon's body glowing with a blue light. Instinctively, I tried to fight back, but I couldn't. I couldn't even move. The Alakazam had used Disable to stop my insane rampage and I was now stuck, helpless, several feet above the ground.

The man with the Alakazam directed the Pokemon to bring me down and, the next thing I knew, I was slowly being lowered to the ground. Seconds later, I found myself being sucked into a Poke Ball, a sensation I hadn't felt since I was a Magikarp. Only, this Poke Ball was different. I had a glimpse of it before I was pulled inside and saw that, instead of being red-and-white like a regular Poke Ball, it was purple-and-white with two pink dots on the top half. And, just above the button, there was a sort of zigzag shape. It was a Master Ball, the one Poke Ball from which no Pokemon can break out.

The next thing I knew, I was in an aquarium, imprisoned behind glass which had been specially reinforced to withstand the onslaught of an enraged Gyarados. And this is where I shall remain until the humans decide what to do with me and whether I would pose a threat if I was released back into the wild. Either way, it's ironic that my insane rampage against humans should have landed me back in their clutches.

But, whatever they decide to do with me, I still loathe humans above all else.


	13. Misfortune

****

Misfortune

Beware, O wandering Pokemon trainer, for I am the bearer of misfortune!

Did that scare you? If not, I hope it at least got your attention. Because, as a Murkrow, I feel it is my duty to challenge this stereotype of my kind. Humans think we are a bad omen; no matter where you go in the world, there's always some myth or legend that paints us in a bad light. In some places, our reputation is as black as the feathers on our backs. We are seen as birds of ill-omen, carrying bad luck with us wherever we go.

In Hoenn, for example, it is said that anyone who sees a Murkrow in a graveyard will die themselves within a year. Superstitious claptrap! If some unfortunate human happens to die under such circumstances, that's hardly our fault. Unless said human sees a Murkrow in a graveyard and, because of this foolish notion, dies of fright . . . But you could make up a superstition like that about any Pokemon, so why single out my kind in this way?

That's a question I can't answer. But I have noticed that humans can be very irrational at times, fearing things that do not need to be feared. And that includes my kind; we Murkrow are Pokemon the same as any other Pokemon, not evil spirits, not omens of death or disaster. On the whole, we're about as dangerous as the average Pidgey - and anyone will tell you that the average Pidgey is one of the least dangerous Pokemon in existence.

* * *

All right, so maybe flocks of us have been known to attack intruders, but we only do it to protect our territory. Trouble is, because we are largely nocturnal, most of these attacks occur at night, so the intruder gets spooked and this adds to our already ominous reputation. But none of us asked to have such a reputation. None of us asked to be feared in this way. It's all the fault of you humans; you may have developed a load of fancy gadgets, but, given the right conditions, you soon revert to what you've always been deep down. Creatures frightened by mere shadows . . .

Still, at least you're not as bad as your ancestors. Some of them were _really_ superstitious, afraid to do anything without the protection of some lucky charm or other. And, somewhere down the line, they got it into their heads that we Murkrow were an unlucky omen, that even seeing one of us was to invite misfortune. That in turn meant that any human who actively chose to train a Murkrow was regarded with suspicion and would, at best, be driven out of their settlement; at worst, both the human and their Murkrow would be put to death as a witch and a witch's familiar respectively. Thankfully, those days are long gone.

By the way, if you're wondering how I know all this, I was told about it by my mother, who was told about it by her mother, who . . . You get the idea. It's a story that's been passed on through word of beak for many generations. Some of us feel it's a reason to avoid contact with humans, but only a minority of Murkrow feel that way. The rest of us know that, if we withdraw from humans or, worse, actively attack them, this will only fuel these foolish superstitions about us.

Anyway, though humans don't tend to believe in witchcraft anymore, the old superstitions still linger and we Murkrow are still feared in some quarters. But you really have nothing to fear from us.

* * *

Did any of my kind ask to be feared and hated in this way? Did we ask to be regarded as unlucky omens, as creatures whose mere presence can bring about disaster? The answer to both questions is a resounding: "No". We did not choose this reputation that's been foisted on us by superstitious humans afraid of things they don't understand.

I mean, if some human sees a Jigglypuff, or a Skitty, or some other cute and cuddly Pokemon, and suffers a misfortune, they don't blame the misfortune on the Jigglypuff, Skitty or whatever. So why do it with misfortunes which happen to coincide with seeing a Murkrow? We don't cause bad things to happen, at least not intentionally. In fact, any good Pokedex will tell you that there isn't a Pokemon species on Earth that does, not without the influence of a bad human anyway.

So if other Pokemon species only become bad because they've been corrupted by bad humans, why should Murkrow be any different? Why should we be looked on with dread, feared as birds which carry misfortune with us wherever we go?

Again, I can't answer that. But I would like to repeat that we do _not_ "carry misfortune", either figuratively or literally. You're no more likely to suffer bad luck if you see a Murkrow than you are if you see any other kind of Pokemon. The very idea is completely irrational, like the belief that breaking a mirror brings seven years' worth of bad luck, or those other superstitions about putting umbrellas up indoors, walking under ladders and stuff like that. Utter balderdash!

And some of your superstitions have even found their way into various Pokedex entries for Murkrow, written by people who ought to know better. Still, at least these entries only say stuff like: "It is said to carry misfortune" and don't try to present this as solid fact. But it still annoys me to think that, when a Pokemon trainer looks up the entry for Murkrow, they are going to getting a load of crap about how we are seen as unlucky omens.

* * *

Despite all the superstitions about us, some of my kind do have trainers, trainers who overcame their prejudices against Murkrow - or had enough common sense not to hold such views in the first place. I myself have a trainer, a young girl called Francine; that's how I know about stuff like Pokedexes. To be more precise, she's a trainer who's also a Co-ordinator, meaning she uses her Pokemon in Contests as well as Gym battles. My team-mates, just for the record, are Kirlia, Raichu, Persian, Bellossom and Kricketune.

And, as if to underline how misguided the notion that a Murkrow is a bearer of misfortune is, Francine has won several of the Contests she has entered since she caught me; in the rest, she at least made the elimination rounds. What's more, I was the Pokemon she used in the Jubilife Contest - and that was one of the Contests she won. So much for being a bearer of misfortune . . . If Francine had lost that Contest, it would have been because she didn't prepare for it properly, not because she used an "unlucky" Pokemon - plain and simple common sense.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that luck has nothing to do with Pokemon - of any species. And that includes Murkrow. Any suggestion that we "carry misfortune", "bring about ominous occurrences" and stuff like that is nothing more than a remnant from Medieval times, a relic of the distant past, and has no place in the more rational modern world.

At least it shouldn't. But, then again, you humans can be pretty irrational at times. I've made that point a few times already, but I don't mind making it again, if only because it annoys me so much that I just have to keep bringing it up.

So there you have it - my attempt to debunk some of the foolish superstitions about my kind. If you're one of those humans who doesn't believe we are misfortune made flesh, bone and feathers, congratulations; you've won my respect. But, if you do believe all that nonsense, I have a piece of advice for you - get to know an actual Murkrow and you might change your mind about us.

On second thoughts, I've found that prejudices can't always be overcome so easily.


	14. Smile

****

Smile

They say a smile is the greatest gift anyone (human or Pokemon) can give or receive. It doesn't cost anything, yet it is more precious than the most expensive jewels, more valuable than the largest nugget of gold. Indeed, humans have a saying that money can't buy you happiness; a smile, however, is something that can be given away for free.

As a Sunflora, smiling comes naturally to me; it is, if you like, a reflection of my kind's naturally sunny disposition. Of course, not all Pokemon of the same species have the same personality, but there do tend to be certain trends within a species. And most of my kind are cheerful, happy Pokemon, who spend much of our time with a smile on our faces. There are exceptions, of course, but we are on the whole a species which is well known for being naturally light-hearted and friendly.

What kind of things make me smile? Feeling the sun on my petals, playing among the flowers, being with my trainer . . . Simple pleasures, but ones which are guaranteed to have me beaming with happiness. And, because I am happy to be with my trainer, she is happy to be with me; the two of us are united by a simple act of turning up the corners of the mouth. Indeed, my trainer (her name is Madeline, by the way) says there are few things more powerful than a true, heartfelt smile.

How can you tell a true, heartfelt smile? It's quite simple if you know what to look for. A fake smile will often look just that - fake, like the person or Pokemon has donned a mask to cover their true feelings. But remove the mask and their true feelings are instantly revealed. A genuine smile, however, is a reflection of one's true feelings, whether it's a small curving up of the lips or a big happy grin, and that's what makes it so special. In addition, fake smiles can (and often do) look overdone.

* * *

But, when I first met Madeline, she was not smiling at all.

It was just after I evolved from Sunkern; I'd touched a Sun Stone and . . . Well, if you're reasonably clued up on Pokemon evolution, you'll know what happened next. Anyway, I'd just evolved and I was running around in the field where I lived, testing out my new feet; as a Sunkern, I'd had no feet and I had to bounce around from place to place. Now, however, I could run and I was enjoying myself, running among the grass and feeling the summer breeze on my body.

As I was running, I heard a sound which made me stop abruptly, listening for its source. It was a whimpering sound of a sort I'd never heard before, the sound of a human crying. I'd seen humans before, but from a distance, and I'd never heard any of their vocalisations. I decided to investigate, so I crept closer to the sound, wondering as I did so what could be making it. It didn't sound like any Pokemon I knew and, of course, I had no idea then what humans sounded like.

Presently, I saw her, a young girl sitting under a tree with her head in her hands. She was, I soon realised, the one who had been making the whimpering sounds and I wondered what was wrong. Had she lost something? And, if so, what had she lost? I had no idea, but I decided I had to try and cheer her up at least; I hate to see anyone looking unhappy, be they human or Pokemon. I walked up to her and gently touched her on the arm with my leaf. She looked up, her blue eyes full of tears. "Hi," she said, sniffling slightly. "Where'd you come from?" Of course, having never heard human speech before, I couldn't understand her, though I have learned her language since. But you don't need to have a common language to know when someone is unhappy. I longed to ask her what was wrong, but I knew she wouldn't understand me.

Instead, I decided to concentrate on cheering her up. I beamed my biggest, most infectious smile at her, then launched into an impromptu displaying of acrobatics, flipping myself petals-over-heels several times, before landing with a flourish and surrounding myself with petals. The girl looked at me with interest, clearly distracted from whatever it was that had been making her unhappy. Though she wasn't actually smiling yet, at least it was a start.

* * *

I continued my acrobatic display; clearly it had taken the girl's mind off her troubles for a moment and I wanted to go one step further and actually make her smile. I followed the back flips with a Petal Dance, leaping into the air and spinning on the spot, sending a shower of yellow petals raining down. A big smile lit up my face as I danced, surrounding the girl with petals and chanting: "Sunflora flora" over and over. Translated into human speech, that little chant wouldn't mean anything, but that didn't matter. I only wanted to cheer this girl up, to make her smile again.

Then, it happened. The girl's mouth began to twitch at the corners and, within moments, she was smiling. Seeing this, I attempted to end my dance, but I'd forgotten one important detail about Petal Dance; if you keep it up too long, it can make you dizzy and cause Confusion. So, when I tried to stop dancing, I slipped and landed rather clumsily. The girl giggled at the sight of me, something which would have annoyed me under normal circumstances, but I was so glad she seemed to be over her earlier unhappiness that I didn't mind.

Still laughing, she walked over to me, picked me up and said something. I later learned that she was asking if I wanted to come with her so she could prove to her brother that she could catch a Pokemon. Her tears had been tears of frustration because every Pokemon she had tried to catch had ended up getting away. She was beginning to despair of ever catching one when I came across her and made her smile again. Because of that, she wanted me to become her Pokemon.

* * *

And so I joined Madeline on her Pokemon journey. Since then, we've spent several months on the road, encountering people and Pokemon and making friends with many of them. And, throughout our travels, we've faced every challenge with a smile on our faces. When I first met Madeline, she was still a rookie trainer and unsure of her skills; repeatedly failing in her attempts to catch a Pokemon had made her lose confidence, caused her to imagine how her brother would laugh at her for her failure.

Now, however, she is much more confident and, if things go wrong, she just laughs it off. I'm not being immodest here - at least I hope not - but I like to think that being with a naturally cheerful and optimistic Pokemon like a Sunflora has rubbed off on her. If nothing else, it proves just how powerful a smile can be. And, if she is unhappy for any reason (perhaps because she's just lost a battle) it doesn't take me long to make her smile again.

A smile, a gift with no material cost, is something worth more than all the treasure in the world. Even winning all the Badges and getting into the Pokemon League means nothing if you become too focused on winning. When that happens, you can forget that there are things in life which matter more. I've met Pokemon and trainers who have been so obsessed with winning that both parties have forgotten one of the simplest pleasures of life. They've forgotten how to smile.

I feel a great pity for trainers like this; in forgetting how to smile, they've forgotten something which, though very simple, helps cement the bond between humans and Pokemon. So, if you're a travelling Pokemon trainer, I hope you won't fall into this trap and that you'll at least try to smile when faced with a challenge. And, if you're a Pokemon, I hope you'll do everything you can to ensure that your trainer doesn't lose sight of this simplest but most precious gift.

The gift of a smile.


	15. Silence

****

Silence

From the time I was very young, I knew I was different.

Outwardly, I looked like any other Vulpix: reddish-brown fur, six curly tails, cute face . . . You get the picture. But there was something which set me apart, made me different from others of my kind. For me, the world was virtually silent; I could hear almost nothing and what I could hear was muffled and indistinct. I was deaf.

But you mustn't feel sorry for me. I'd been that way all my life, so I'd never known what it was like to be able to hear, never known anything other than a world of almost total silence. And, as they say, you don't miss things you've never known. For me, silence was the norm and I was comfortable with it. Of course, had I become deaf later in life, I might have mourned the loss of sound, but I couldn't mourn something I'd never known.

My mother, a beautiful cream-coloured Ninetales, was gentle with me, understanding that, because I could barely hear anything, things would always be harder for me than they would for most other Pokemon. She communicated with me by signalling with her body; for example, a flick of her tails meant I should follow her. And that's how I communicated with her for the most part, by signalling with my body. I could vocalise, but, because I couldn't hear, I never really learned to talk. Body signals were easier for me; you don't need to be able to hear to communicate that way.

* * *

My mother and I lived with a human female called Lydia; she'd raised my mother since she was a Vulpix herself - my mother, not Lydia. At some point before I was hatched, Lydia used a Fire Stone to evolve my mother into a Ninetales and, a short time after that, my mother met an Absol belonging to a travelling Pokemon trainer. She told me (using body signals) that she was quite taken with him, so much so that the two of them ended up . . . Well, you can probably guess the rest.

Anyway, I was the product of that "encounter" between my mother and the Absol. At first, I appeared to be a normal, healthy Vulpix, but Lydia must have noticed at some point that there was something not quite right about me, that I did not respond to sounds. So she took me to a Pokemon Centre to ask Nurse Joy for her advice; I remember sitting on the table as Nurse Joy tested me, trying to find a sound I responded to. But, of course, nothing worked.

In the end, Nurse Joy turned to Lydia and shook her head, a gesture I knew meant "no". Then, they started talking; I could see their lips moving, even though I couldn't hear what they were saying, and I guessed they must be talking about me. But why had Nurse Joy shaken her head? Was she saying: "No, your Vulpix can't hear"? Or was she saying: "No, there's nothing I can do"? I had no way of knowing and I didn't have long to think about it before Lydia came over to me and called me back into my Poke Ball.

Lydia and I returned home, where Lydia began working on teaching me to respond to hand signals; clearly, Nurse Joy's verdict had been that I would never have any functional levels of hearing. Anyway, I learned to understand Lydia's hand signs almost as quickly as I learned to understand my mother's body signals and was consequently able to live something resembling the life of any other human-owned Pokemon. However, there would always be one difference, a difference that meant certain things would always be denied to me.

* * *

I knew about Pokemon battles, having seen my mother and Lydia, as well as other trainers and Pokemon, engage in them. It looked pretty exciting and I would have liked to have a go at battling myself. But my deafness meant I couldn't; I wouldn't be able to hear Lydia's commands and, because Pokemon League rules require the trainer to stand behind the Pokemon, the use of hand signals was also out. Plus, I wouldn't be able to hear if my opponent was going to make a sneak attack.

Was I bitter? I suppose I was a little, but I learned to ignore and accept the fact that, because I couldn't battle myself, I would have to settle for watching from the sidelines. In fact, when Lydia and my mother battled, I was always there watching and silently cheering them on. I suppose you could call me their "mascot", their lucky charm; at least I like to think that some of my mother's victories were because I was willing her to win. And it was the closest I could get to what I really wanted.

Occasionally, however, my mother and I would play games which involved trying to hit an object such as a leaf with our Fire Attacks. Such target practice enabled my mother to work on her accuracy and it also gave me a means of burning off excess Fire energy, since I couldn't battle. These games often turned into a friendly competition, which I always enjoyed, not least because it was something I could do even without being able to hear. And I'd never forgotten the look of pride on my mother's face the first time I succeeded in hitting a target.

I even tried battling wild Pokemon a few times, but this soon petered out. Though there was nothing wrong with my eye-sight or sense of smell, it didn't take long for my opponents to figure out that I couldn't hear them. And, after that, they were quick to take advantage of this fact by moving out of my sight and attacking me from behind. As a result, I lost more of these battles than I won. Eventually, I stopped even trying to battle, knowing that any battles I fought were likely to end with me being knocked out from behind, and contented myself with target practice and watching my mother when she battled. My deafness was a weakness I could never completely overcome.

But I'd learned to live with it long ago. I'd never known anything else and I knew I'd always be this way, living in a world almost totally devoid of sound. And, like I said before, you can't really miss what you've never experienced. You might occasionally wonder what it would be like, but you don't miss in the sense of having lost something and wanting it back.

* * *

On the whole, I was about as happy as I could be given my circumstances. I had a mother who loved me, deaf or not, and the human we lived with was very kind to both of us, especially me. Some humans would have got rid of me when they found out I was deaf and, therefore, unable to battle effectively. But Lydia wasn't like that; instead, she kept me and raised me, like she would any other Pokemon - or as close to it as possible. And she always made it clear that she loved me unconditionally.

They say unconditional love is the greatest love of all because it means you don't demand that the object of your love be perfect, or at least free of any serious flaws. Instead, it means you love them flaws and all. My flaw was the fact that something was physically wrong with me, that some imperfection in my ears had prevented my sense of hearing from developing properly. But, aside from that, I was physically sound and, as far as Lydia was concerned, that was all that mattered.

Besides, I never asked to be the way I was. I never asked to be deaf, but fate had decreed that I should be and I just had to make the best of it. I could still feel the wind in my fur, smell the scent of the flowers, taste the Pokemon food which Lydia fed to my mother and me. And I could sit and watch the world go by, observe other Pokemon; one of my favourite things was watching swarms of Volbeat and Illumise flying past the moon, seeing them calling to each other but unable to hear what they were saying. For my world was, and always would be, a world of nearly total silence.


	16. Questioning

****

Questioning

The light shone directly into my eyes as I sat opposite the two humans who were about to question me. We were in a bare room which contained only a low table with hard chairs around it, plus a single window set high in the wall and with metal bars welded to the frame. On the desk were a lamp which had been angled so that it shone in my face and a tape recorder. As I sat there, one of the humans pressed a switch, causing the tape recorder to whirr into life.

"Interview started 1230 hours, April 16," the other human said into a microphone. He directed his next words to me. "Are you the Toxicroak owned by the Team Rocket member known as Big Earl?"

"Toxicroak tox?" I replied, trying to avoid the man's gaze. Beside me sat another human, one who understood Pokemon language; it was his job to translate my replies into human speech for the benefit of this rather unusual police interview. After all, it's not every day the human police get to interview a Pokemon, but I'd been involved in some pretty big stuff with Team Rocket and they'd arrested me along with several human Rockets, including the aforementioned Big Earl.

_"What if I am?"_ the human beside me translated.

"If you are," the man questioning me said, "you and your Master are wanted on ten counts of Grand Theft Pokemon. I'll ask you again - are you or are you not Big Earl's Toxicroak?"

"Toxicroak," I said, trying to look as though I did not know what this guy was talking about and I'd never heard of this "Big Earl" guy in my life. The truth was, of course, that I knew precisely who he was; after all, he had raised me from a Croagunk he acquired when he was a Team Rocket recruit. He was just plain Earl then (not to be confused with the guy at the trainers' school in Violet City) but he later picked up the nickname Big Earl thanks to his love of takeaways. That and the fact that he had risen in the Rocket ranks until he was only a few steps below Giovanni . . .

_"No comment."_

* * *

This went on for several more minutes. The human questioning me kept asking me if I was Big Earl's Toxicroak, phrasing the question in more ways than I thought possible. My response each time was the same, a non-committal: "Toxicroak" which my translator relayed as: "No comment." They were getting nowhere fast, but that suited me fine; after all, I hadn't become a high ranking Rocket Pokemon by ratting on my human partner. The human questioning me could ask me a million times, but I still wouldn't tell him what he wanted to know.

Eventually, they decided to change tack. "All right," my questioner asked, "are you aware of any of Big Earl's activities relating to the theft of Pokemon?"

"Toxi," I replied, shrugging my shoulders. I would have liked to be able to floor these humans with my Poison Jab, but, unluckily for me, they'd put thick gloves on my hands, making it impossible for me to use my signature move. And, as an added precaution, they'd secured my wrists to the arms of the chair I was in, ensuring that I could not take the gloves off.

_"Maybe,"_ the human beside me said, translating my reply into human speech.

"Well, do you or don't you?" my questioner demanded. I did not know his name, or the names of either of the other humans in the room, but it was becoming increasingly obvious that he wanted answers. Well, I'd give him answers, all right - answers with as much truth in them as the notion that the moon is made of green cheese.

"Tox."

_"Yes,"_ my translator interpreted.

"And do you have any specific examples?"

"Toxicroak toxi toxicroak croak," I replied, making it up as I went along. "Toxicroak toxicroak, croak croak. Toxicroak tox." Then, I paused and waited for my interpreter to translate the pack of lies I'd just fed these humans. All good Rockets are experts at lying (or, at least, taking liberties with the truth) and their Pokemon are no different. A favourite trick among some Rockets is to have one of their own Pokemon act as a lure to enable them to trap other Pokemon, though Big Earl had never used me for this purpose. Anyway, I waited for my lies to be translated, trusting to luck that these humans would believe me.

_"I heard he was planning a robbery at a Pokemon Centre. The one in Azalea Town, I think. You'd better get over there."_

* * *

The questioning continued for a while longer. I told the humans that I knew a Pokemon, a Rattata, who was working undercover in Team Rocket and had told me that Big Earl was planning a heist at the Azalea Town Pokemon Centre. His plan was to have one of the lower ranked Rockets arrive at the Centre dressed as an ordinary trainer, with the Rattata posing as a Pokemon that had been injured in battle. Then, the Rocket would let off a smoke bomb and, while everyone was distracted by this, head for the Centre's Poke Ball storage room and load the Balls into a bag, before heading to the roof and escaping by helicopter. None of it was true.

When I had finished telling the story about the raid-that-wasn't-really-going-to-happen, the human who had been questioning me turned to the man next to him. "Send a squad to the Azalea Town Pokemon Centre," he instructed. "Warn them of a possible raid by Team Rocket." It took every ounce of self-control I had to keep myself from shouting in triumph; he had actually believed every word I'd said. Or, rather, he had actually believed every word he had had translated for him.

"Yes, sir," said the man next to him, who hadn't spoken until then. "By the way," he added, "what do you want to do with this Pokemon?"

My questioner shrugged. "Set it free."

"Free?"

"Yes, free. It's just given us valuable information on Team Rocket activities." He turned to me and smiled. "Good work - there'll soon be a few less Rockets on the streets thanks to you."

In fact, thanks to me, a few Rockets would soon be back on the streets.

* * *

Afterward, I hung around outside the police station, carefully staying out of sight until it was dark. Then, still trying to avoid detection, I began to use Dig to tunnel into the station. I knew the tunnel would emerge in the cells where Big Earl and the other Rockets who had been arrested were being held; all Rockets (and all Rocket Pokemon) are experts at digging and tunnelling. Not only is it a handy means of getting out of jail, digging pit traps for unwary trainers is a favourite Rocket trick.

As I dug, I thought of the lies I had told while I was being questioned, lies which would send the police on a wild Farfetch'd chase to Azalea Town. I laughed to myself; the gullible fools were probably there by now, staking out the local Pokemon Centre in anticipation of a raid by Team Rocket. A raid which I knew full well was never going to happen . . . And, while the police were waiting to foil a non-existent raid, I would free Big Earl and the others and we would make our escape.

By the time the police realised they had been had, we would be long gone.


	17. Blood

****

Blood

I left the scene of the battle, painfully aware of the wounds I had sustained at the blades of my opponent. Once a proud and noble Pokemon, I was reduced to an exile, driven out because I was too old to lead my swarm, replaced by a Scyther who was both younger and faster than me. I could feel blood trickling from a Slash I had received across my thorax; it wasn't deep enough to be fatal, but it was painful enough to keep me from flying. And, to a Scyther, being crippled is the worst humiliation of all.

I staggered into the trees, using my scythes to support myself, not looking back at my old swarm. Except it wasn't my swarm any longer; from now on, my challenger would be the leader and, if I managed to sneak back in, I would, at best, spend all my time on the fringes of the swarm I once led. I was an outcast, bleeding from various wounds, a fallen warrior. There was no longer any place for me in the swarm.

Somehow, I made it as far as a large oak tree, before loss of blood made me collapse. As I lay there, bleeding and alone, key events in my life flashed before me.

* * *

In my younger days, I was regarded as the best warrior in the swarm. I was certainly the fastest; when I attacked, my scythes moved so rapidly that all you could see was a blur. Add to that the fact that I was also pretty skilled at Double Team and it was perhaps inevitable that I would be the one who ended up challenging the old leader when he became too old and slow to lead us. Leading a Scyther swarm requires you to be at the peak of your physical prowess and, once you start to show the slightest sign of weakness, the slightest sign of slowing down, it's only a matter of time before a younger Scyther challenges you.

So it was with myself and the old leader. I respected him - he had led us for nearly fifteen summers - but he was getting old and I felt the time had come for a new leader to take over the swarm. So I fought him and quickly sent him packing with his wings torn to shreds. If I sound a little matter-of-fact there, it's only because that's how it is in a Scyther swarm; whichever Scyther loses a leadership battle has to leave the swarm. Sometimes, they manage to rejoin, but that rarely happens, especially in the case of deposed leaders.

Anyway, I became the swarm leader and that meant I had several special privileges - first choice of any food the swarm gathered, a nest in the most sheltered part of our territory . . . and so on. It also meant I could mate with any female Scyther in the swarm, which I was only too happy to do. In fact, at least half the youngsters hatched during my first season as leader were fathered by me.

But, though I was the leader, it was not a position of absolute security. I had to fight constantly to maintain my position, though, immediately after I became leader, this wasn't necessary. Any Scyther who might have ideas about taking my place soon backed off when I showed him or her (usually him) my scythes. Gradually, however, some grew bold enough to take me on in battle, but I defeated all my opponents.

Or at least I had until now. For even the mightiest of warriors must grow old one day and, now, it had happened to me. I felt my wounds throb painfully as I recalled how I was defeated and driven out of the swarm.

* * *

There was a young Scyther, one hatched only a couple of seasons ago, who was showing signs of being as tough a warrior as I was at the same age. He was fast and deadly accurate with his Attacks, so much so that I should perhaps have expected him to be the one who ultimately ended my reign. But, for some reason, I didn't, thinking I still had a few more seasons in me; I was getting old, but I didn't think I was _that_ old.

Anyway, the swarm was out gathering food, when something suddenly knocked me out of the air. Winded, I lay on the ground as the tough young Scyther stood over me and prodded me with his scythe, causing blood to well up. "Old one," he said, "I challenge you for the leadership of our swarm."

"Then I accept," I said. Not that I had much choice; if I refused to take him on, I would lose by default and that would be an even worse humiliation than merely being defeated. Besides, I'd held onto the leadership against all my previous challengers and I fully expected to do so again. After the battle, this young Scyther would be just another defeated challenger driven out of the swarm, taking with him a few wounds to remind him of the fact that the old leader could still put up a good fight, one good enough to beat a young whippersnapper like him.

* * *

The entire swarm gathered around in a circle, as my challenger and I stood in the centre, facing each other. We did the usual pre-battle rituals of making slashing movements with our scythes and, then, the fight (in which we could, by tradition, only use moves which either required the use of our scythes or provided a power boost) began. I decided to open with a Fury Cutter, knowing it would increase in power each time I hit my opponent. But, before I even had chance to launch my attack, my opponent used Agility to increase his speed and gave me a swift Slash across the face. From the sticky wetness I could feel trickling down my nose, I knew he had drawn blood, but I wasn't about to give up after one strike.

I tried to counter with a Slash of my own, but my opponent was, once again, too quick for me. This time, he parried my attack, then delivered a series of slashing blows with his scythes. Once more, I tried to fight back, only for my opponent to block me. This time, however, he didn't follow through with a straightforward Slash; instead, he gave a loud screech and began to spin round so rapidly he looked like a green blur. He was using Swords Dance to power up, to make his next attack more powerful.

Then, he came at me again, slicing diagonally with one scythe, then doing the same thing in the opposite direction with the other scythe. The resulting wounds intersected to form an X, the shape which gives this move its name, X-Scissor. I tried to counter attack, only to be forced back again. I was losing. For the first time since I challenged the old leader, I was losing a leadership battle.

I did manage to get in a few blows, but not as many as my opponent inflicted on me. I was not as young as I used to be and my reflexes were not as sharp as they were, which meant my opponent was able to out-manoeuvre me several times. I was becoming exhausted, bleeding from the various wounds he had inflicted on me, barely able to stay standing. But I could not give up. I would not give up . . . Suddenly, my opponent flew at me and gave me a vicious Slash across the thorax. Once more, blood welled up.

That was when it all proved too much for me. I'd fought as hard as I could, but I was getting weak from loss of blood and my wounds were throbbing painfully. I sank down, struggling to support myself on my scythes, before my legs gave way completely and I fell to the ground. My opponent held his scythes aloft and gave a cry of victory, proclaiming himself as the new leader. "By right of combat, I claim the leadership of this swarm!" he declared.

As one, the swarm gathered around the new leader, congratulating him and declaring that he would be "the greatest leader ever", the exact same words with which I had been feted when I became leader. No-one seemed to notice that I was bleeding heavily as a result of the wounds I had sustained. And, if they did, they didn't bother to tend to my injuries. As a defeated leader, I was now nothing to this swarm, just a broken-down old Scyther whose time had passed. That was when I turned and dragged my wounded body away. I had no choice.

* * *

So I was now an outcast. I sat on the ground, wondering what would become of me now that I no longer belonged to a swarm. The chances of me ever returning to my old swarm were virtually non-existent and, though I knew some of my kind led solitary lives, I also knew it was mostly young and healthy Scythers who did that. I was old, too old to hold onto the leadership of my swarm, so what chance did I have as a lone Scyther? Especially when I was still weak from loss of blood . . .

On the other hand, what choice did I have? In theory, there was a third option open to me: joining another swarm. But Scyther swarms tend to be very territorial, seldom welcoming outsiders into their ranks; any Scyther that does manage to join a swarm from outside is at the very lowest rank and, as a former leader, my pride could never stand that. The humiliation of having to bow before a leader when I had recently held that position myself would be far worse than any physical injuries.

But, maybe, I wouldn't have to worry about it. I had taken a severe beating from my opponent, had lost so much blood that I could barely stagger away. And, sooner or later, the smell of blood would alert any predatory Pokemon that might be nearby.


	18. Rainbow

****

Rainbow

Some Pokemon are the stuff of legends. They are more than ordinary Pokemon, possessing the power of gods, and it is said that some are so powerful that they could potentially upset the very fabric of the Universe. Those are ones who have to be sealed away in other dimensions, where their powers can't cause any harm. Even those Legendary Pokemon whose power isn't so great are more powerful than your average run-of-the-mill Pokemon.

I, Ho-Oh, am one such Pokemon, a magnificent bird, soaring majestically through the skies. Some even call me the "rainbow Pokemon", an apt name because, whenever I appear, a rainbow invariably appears along with me. Not that I soar through the sky all the time, though; even Legendary Pokemon must rest occasionally. My home is atop a tall tower built at the north end of the settlement the humans call Ecruteak City; for many centuries, I have roosted on the roof, observing the humans below.

Humans very rarely venture near my tower and the men who act as my guardians - I suppose that would be the best word - ensure that those who do are worthy to approach by insisting that they bring two items. The first is the Gym Badge from Ecruteak City, which is fairly easy to obtain if you have any Pokemon that can handle Ghost Types. But the second item is harder to obtain - a Rainbow Wing, one of my own feathers.

Yes, one of my own feathers. Like all birds, I shed my feathers occasionally and any human lucky enough to find a Ho-Oh feather, a Rainbow Wing, may climb to the top of my tower and meet me. Provided they've also got the Ecruteak Gym Badge, of course. If they have, they are free to approach my tower, which is otherwise off limits to all humans except my guardians. Not that I mind; I have no wish to be bothered by a mob of rookie trainers who just want to brag about the fact that they've seen a Legendary Pokemon up close.

* * *

When I'm not perched atop my tower, I fly all over Kanto and Johto, leaving rainbows in my wake. I know there are other regions besides these two, but I've never ventured into any of them; my territory only covers Kanto and Johto. Anyway, if you're in either of those regions and you see a rainbow in the sky, keep a look out for a large (predominantly orange) bird Pokemon with a crest of four golden feathers. That would be me.

I don't allow myself to be seen too often, however. I generally stay high in the sky, out of sight of humans, only venturing lower if I sense there is something special about a particular person. I don't know how I sense these things because I'm not a Psychic Pokemon, but I suppose you could call it an instinct, a feeling that someone will go on to become a great Pokemon trainer. Those are the ones who are given the privilege of glimpsing me as I fly over the rainbow.

It's not always the obvious ones, though. Once, I was flying across the plains separating Pallet Town from Viridian City when I saw a young boy and a Pikachu being chased by a flock of Spearows. Then, as the boy (who looked about the age most humans are when they start Pokemon training) tried to protect the Pikachu, the yellow mouse leapt in front of him and zapped the entire Spearow flock with an Electric Attack more powerful than I would have expected from such a small Pokemon. Even from up high, I could see that it had taken a lot out of the Pikachu, but I could sense there was something special about the boy, that he was destined to go far.

As the boy, who had been knocked to the ground by his Pikachu's attack, picked himself up, he glanced at the sky, just as I flew overhead. He only had a brief glimpse of me before I soared over the rainbow and out of sight, but I knew the sight of me was something he would never forget. From what I know about humans, few can claim to have seen a Legendary Pokemon, especially so early on in their Pokemon journeys. That boy with the Pikachu was given a very rare honour.

How did I know he was a new trainer? His age, for one thing, and the fact that I could sense in him a determination to prove himself, plus a certain naivety that you find in those just venturing out into the world for the first time. The sort you know will, given time, give way to the wisdom of experience . . .

* * *

How many humans have been granted the same privilege as the boy with the Pikachu? Not many - I only allow myself to be seen by those who have the potential to go far and who have no trace of evil in their hearts. They might have some character flaws - no living thing is 100% perfect - but they must essentially be good at heart. They are the ones who may, if they see a rainbow in the sky, see me flying over it. But even they may never get to see me close up; that is a privilege reserved for very special trainers.

I've already explained the qualifications needed to approach me in my tower, so, if I do so again, I'd only be repeating myself. Instead, I'll tell you what happens when a human visits me on my home patch.

Once they've been given clearance by my guardians, they may approach via a pathway through a peaceful woodland. At the end of that pathway is my tower, standing tall and proud; it was originally one of two towers found in Ecruteak, but the other tower burned down long ago. Once, that tower also had a Legendary Pokemon living at the top - Lugia, but he left when his tower burned down and now he dwells under the ocean. For some reason, the humans have never rebuilt the tower that was destroyed and nor have they tried to rebuild it; its ruins still stand in the north-western corner of Ecruteak City.

Anyway, the human enters my tower and must now ascend until they reach the roof where I will be waiting. Somehow, I can sense when such a trainer is in Ecruteak and make sure to return to my tower, ready to grant them an audience. In any case, once the human has climbed to the top of my tower, battling a few Pokemon along the way, they will come to a stairway which leads to the roof; all they have to do is climb up it and I will be waiting for them.

I like to give these humans something to remember for the rest of their lives; after all, not many of them will ever get to see me up close. So I make sure to position myself where the sun will catch my feathers, making them shimmer in all the colours of the rainbow. To add to the effect, I generally spread my wings wide to show them off. What the human does then is down to them. Most are content simply to look at me, to enjoy the honour of seeing a Legendary Pokemon, but there are those who come to seek a battle with me. And, if they bring a strong Flying Pokemon such as Dragonite or Salamence, I am happy to oblige.

There's one condition, though; even if they defeat me, they must not try to capture me. As a Legendary, my power is greater than that of ordinary Pokemon, greater than humans can handle. Not that this has stopped some misguided humans from trying to catch Legendary Pokemon, but they invariably fail. Luckily, most humans seem to be satisfied with simply seeing a Legendary and understand that we are too important for one individual to own. In a sense, we belong to everyone. But the humans who battle me don't leave with nothing to show for it; I can make a special substance called Sacred Ash, which has the power to revive all fainted Pokemon in a trainer's party. That is the prize I award to those who are truly worthy.

Are you about to start on a Pokemon journey? If so, you may be one of those trainers who are lucky enough to see me flying over the rainbow.


	19. Gray

****

Gray

My trainer and I have been together for a long time now, ever since he was a young rookie just starting out from Littleroot Town and I was a Taillow barely out of the nest.

My trainer is a fairly decent kid, unlike some I've heard of who'll treat their Pokemon as tools to be discarded when they aren't up to scratch. His name's Graham, but everyone calls him Gray for short, so I will do the same. When I first met him, he was about ten years old, with short brown hair and green eyes, dressed in blue jeans and a red t-shirt. In other words, a typical rookie trainer, even down to the backpack he carried over his shoulder . . .

Anyway, I was perched on the branch of a small tree, minding my own business, when the boy who I later learned was Gray appeared on the scene. Seeing me, he pulled something out of his bag and, seconds later, I heard an electronic voice say: _"Taillow, the tiny swallow Pokemon. Its gutsy spirit leads it to take on tough foes."_ The next thing I knew, the boy had pulled out a red-and-white ball and tossed it to the ground; it burst open with a blaze of light, which quickly faded to reveal a Mudkip.

"Go get it, Mudkip!" the boy called, pointing to me. "Water Gun!"

The Mudkip opened his mouth and squirted a jet of water at me, aiming to knock me off the branch. Before the water could hit, however, I flew off the branch and dived at the Water/Ground Pokemon in a Peck Attack, aiming my beak at his chest. "Dodge it, Mudkip!" ordered the boy, watching as his Pokemon narrowly avoided my attack. This continued for a few more minutes, until I mistimed a Quick Attack and the Mudkip hit me with a Tackle and knocked me to the ground. Seconds later, a ball identical to the one which had held the Mudkip came flying towards me and struck me on the head.

Suddenly, I felt a sensation which is hard to describe, though I suppose you could say I felt like I was being drawn into the ball and that I was shrinking. As the ball closed around me, I struggled to get out, but the ball (whatever it was) was too strong and I was forced to surrender. I was in what I later learned was called a Poke Ball.

* * *

A little later, I was let out of the Poke Ball to find myself somewhere I had never been before. I was by a lake, though there were no lakes near where I lived, and the Mudkip from before was splashing in the shallows, looking happy and carefree. I felt an intense curiousity to know more about the strange arrangement he and the boy seemed to have. In particular, why had the boy made him battle me? And why had I been caught with that red-and-white ball?

I flew up to Mudkip. "So, what's with you and that boy?" I asked as I landed by the shore of the lake. For the sake of convenience, I will translate the conversation between Mudkip and myself into human speech.

"Huh?" Mudkip pulled himself out of the lake, water sliding off his smooth blue skin. "Oh, that's my trainer - his name's Graham, but his friends call him Gray."

"What's a trainer?" was my next question. I honestly had no idea; I'd only recently left the nest where I'd hatched and I'd never seen a human up close before.

"A trainer," Mudkip explained, "is a human who catches Pokemon and trains them for battle. Then, they have them battle other Pokemon."

"But, why?"

"To make the Pokemon stronger and to catch new Pokemon. I think there's another reason, but I'm not sure. Gray's what they call a rookie; that means he's just starting out. I've only battled wild Pokemon so far."

"Has he caught any?" I asked next. "Apart from me, I mean."

Mudkip shook his head. "Not yet. There was a Rattata he tried for earlier, but it got away."

I looked behind me to see the boy, Gray, leaning against a tree and watching us. He looked like a nice kid - not that I knew much about humans - but why would he want to go round catching Pokemon, not to mention making them battle other Pokemon? I put this question to Mudkip, who shook his head and said I'd find out soon enough. But he did tell me one thing; Pokemon trainers like Gray don't stay in one place for too long, but travel around with their Pokemon. However, he could not say what purpose that travelling served.

* * *

Gray, Mudkip and I moved on. Along the way, Gray caught three more Pokemon: a Mankey, a Wurmple and a Zigzagoon. I helped with the capture of the Wurmple, while Mudkip was called on to deal with the Mankey and the Zigzagoon. Clearly, Gray seemed to be collecting Pokemon for some reason. But why? What purpose did all this Pokemon-catching serve?

I received my answer when I was let out of my Poke Ball to find myself facing a Lotad. That in itself wasn't odd, but the fact that there was a human standing behind the Lotad was. This human looked different from Gray, the features being more delicate; I later learned that it was something called a "girl", the word humans use to refer to their females while they are in the juvenile phase. Anyway, it seemed I was going to have to battle the Lotad, so I braced myself for Gray's first command.

"Taillow!" Gray called, pointing to the Lotad. "Start with a Peck!"

As I flew at the Lotad, aiming my beak at it, I was surprised to hear the girl standing behind the Water/Grass Pokemon call out: "Lotad! Bullet Seed!" I was even more surprised when the Lotad obeyed and started firing a volley of seeds from its mouth. Don't forget, I'd only battled wild Pokemon until now; this was the first time I'd been up against a Pokemon belonging to another trainer. The seeds the Lotad was firing at me looked pretty hard, as though they could do me some damage even with my Type advantage.

"Dodge it, Taillow!" ordered Gray. In response, I flew up high, out of range of the Lotad's Bullet Seed. "Now! Use Wing Attack!" I dived towards the Lotad and prepared to strike it with my wings; this time, I hit home, knocking my opponent flying. It was down, but not out.

"Lotad! Absorb!" the girl called. I guessed what she was trying to do, having seen a wild Lotad use the same move. Absorb was one of the moves which Pokemon could use to drain energy from their opponent and replenish their own; clearly, this girl knew about Lotad's weakness against Flying Pokemon and was willing to try anything that might give her an advantage, however slight. Gray, meanwhile, countered this move by having me dodge again, then use Quick Attack.

To cut a long story short, I eventually won that battle, though it was by no means an easy fight. On more than one occasion, it looked as though the Lotad was down for the count, only for it to use Absorb to heal itself and prolong the battle. In the end, however, I got the Lotad with a Wing Attack. Once again, it was sent flying; this time, however, it did not get up. I had won my first battle against a human-trained Pokemon. As Gray congratulated me, the girl recalled her fainted Lotad and began to walk away.

"Hey! Wait!" Gray called after her. She stopped and turned round at the sound of his voice. "Look, if you're heading to Petalburg, why don't you come with me?"

She paused as though she was thinking about his offer. "Sure, why not?" she said finally. "It'll be better than travelling on my own. By the way, what's your name?"

"Graham," replied Gray. "But you can call me Gray."

"I'm Rebecca, Becca for short."

And so Gray and Becca set out together on their Pokemon journey.

* * *

That was five years ago. Gray and Becca are almost grown up now and many of their Pokemon have evolved, including myself. I became a Swellow after I defeated a tough Poochyena I met in a double battle which Gray and Becca fought against two boys they encountered in Mauville City; Becca's Lotad evolved into Lombre at the same time, after beating a Rattata. I won't bore you with details of all the Gym Battles they fought and the Badges they won, but I will say they both placed highly at that year's Hoenn League tournament in Ever Grande City.

Since then, we've taken on the Pokemon Leagues in Johto and Kanto, in that order. And, now, Gray and Becca are talking about taking a trip to the Sinnoh region.


	20. Fortitude

****

Fortitude

As a Fighting Pokemon, I have to endure a tough training regime so that I can develop to the best of my ability. Among other things, this means taking regular plunges in the ice-cold waters of Lake Acuity, taking ten-mile jogs and spending hours just practising my punching. It's hard and demanding, but my trainer says enduring physical hardship will enable me to focus better, make me more effective in battle. Don't get me wrong, though; she's not a bad trainer and she recognises that there are limits beyond which even Fighting Pokemon cannot go.

Yes, my trainer is a girl. Not all girls like cute and fluffy Pokemon such as Clefairy, or Bellossom, or Skitty, or Pachirisu and that includes my trainer, Leah, who has chosen to specialise in Fighting Pokemon; as well as me, she has a Combusken, a Mankey and a Lucario. I'm a Machop, small but very powerful, able to lift a Graveler according to my Pokedex entry. I'm also Leah's favourite Pokemon, but that doesn't mean my training regime is any less tough; Leah says fortitude, the ability to endure physical extremes, is important for Fighting Types.

And, even though we live in the snowiest region of Sinnoh, Leah is keen to follow her own advice. Often, she will go out training dressed in little more than trousers and t-shirt, even when it's freezing cold outside. Not that I'd recommend the average Pokemon trainer tries this; Leah has been taught to withstand such extremes of temperature and it's taken her years to get to her current level of endurance. Even then, she can't withstand the cold indefinitely; apart from Ice Type Pokemon, no living creature can.

* * *

My day begins at 5 AM; in winter, at this northern latitude, that means it's still dark outside. That's when Leah lets us all out of our Poke Balls and we do our exercises, stretching our muscles and practising our battle techniques. Sometimes, this means we battle each other; at other times, we simply use a set of dummies Leah has made as target practice. Leah expects us to be in peak physical condition and says that our instincts should be kept razor sharp, something she was taught by another trainer of Fighting Type Pokemon.

Anyway, after about two hours of training, we have breakfast, usually something simple but high in energy. This gives us the energy we need for the day's training, which then continues with another couple of hours spent training outside. We do this every day, except when it's blowing a blizzard; even then, we don't get a break because Leah says one day without training could dull our reflexes. So, if there is a blizzard blowing outside, we have another indoor training session. In any case, Leah trains us until about mid-morning before we take a break, followed by more training, then lunch, then more training . . .

Sorry, I'm getting a bit repetitive here, so I'd better stop waffling about my training regime. But I hope this will give you some idea what Leah expects from us. My team-mates and I are Fighting Pokemon and, as Fighting Pokemon, we are expected to have a higher tolerance of physical extremes. She never pushes us too far, though, just to the very limits of our endurance.

One of the things Leah has taught us is how to ignore pain until it becomes completely unbearable. If, for example, an old battle injury starts playing one of us up, we have been trained to work through the pain threshold and keep on going regardless. And, when we are injured, our training regime means we only get to rest for a day at the most, unless the injury is really serious. After that, it's back to training as usually, though we only do relatively gentle exercises at first. It's all a question of fortitude; as Fighting Pokemon, we have no time to sit around. We have to get on with it, regardless of physical comfort.

* * *

As well as training us to the limits of our physical endurance, Leah has also taught us to meditate. She says this will focus our minds and further increase our effectiveness in battle, as well as helping Lucario with his aura-reading. I'm not entirely sure how aura-reading works, only that it's a special ability a Lucario has, but Leah says meditation will help Lucario to focus better, train him to empty his mind of all distractions and concentrate on the aura he's trying to read. I did once ask Lucario to explain how aura-reading works, but he said it was difficult to explain it to a Pokemon without such abilities. The best he could do was to try and get me to imagine that every living thing is surrounded by a coloured light that changes depending on the individual's mood.

Even then, I don't think I fully grasped what he was saying. Auras are too abstract for me; I tend to focus on the concrete, physical world and have no time for something as metaphysical as auras. I'm a Machop, a Pokemon built for physical Attacks, for developing my muscle power so that I can deliver a punch or a kick where it counts. I take part in the meditation sessions, but only so that I can improve my focus.

Anyway, we spend an hour a day in meditation, learning to clear our minds of all distracting thoughts and focus on improving the effectiveness of our Attacks. Moves like Meditate and Focus Energy have a similar effect when used in battle, but the effect wears off after a while and has to be renewed in each battle. By learning to meditate out of battle, Leah says we will always be at the peak of effectiveness. And that can make all the difference between winning and losing a battle. Once, she sent me into battle when I hadn't done any meditation for a while and I ended up being defeated by a Shinx. The next day, I did meditate and, afterwards, was able to beat a Luxio.

* * *

Fortitude, the ability to endure physical extremes, is essential for Fighting Pokemon because so many of the moves we use are physically very demanding. We have to be able to deliver kicks and punches, as well as receiving them ourselves, and that means we have to learn to keep going no matter what. Leah has taught us to surrender to pain only if it becomes impossible to endure it any longer, but never to push ourselves too far. If that seems like a contradiction in terms, I think I'd better remind you that no living thing, even a highly training Fighting Pokemon, can endure pain indefinitely. Sooner or later, they will reach a point where no amount of specialist training will allow them to simply ignore it and carry on.

For pain is nature's way of telling you to stop doing something before it causes you serious damage. And, while it is possible to push back the threshold at which pain becomes unendurable, you can't keep pushing it back indefinitely. There has to be a limit, a point beyond which it is impossible to keep going regardless of any physical discomfort, because no species could survive if it became totally indifferent to pain. Pain is like an alarm in your body warning you that something is wrong; you can learn to ignore it, but you can never shut it off entirely.

Thanks to the training I have received from Leah, I can endure discomfort for far longer than I could when she first caught me. Back then, I could only tolerate the cold waters of Lake Acuity, where we bathe regularly to improve our endurance, for a couple of minutes at the most. But, over time, Leah taught me to gradually build up the time I was able to spend in the water and I can now stay in for just under half-an-hour. A Poliwrath, being a Water as well as a Fighting Pokemon, could stay in even longer if it was properly trained, but Leah doesn't own a Poliwrath - yet.

Anyway, I guess what I'm trying to saying is that the training regime of a Fighting Pokemon may be tough, but it's necessary if we are to reach our full potential. Our muscles must be firm, our minds highly focused, our bodies indifferent to all but the most severe pain. For that reason, we must learn to endure discomfort without letting it overwhelm us, to face it with fortitude.


	21. Vacation

****

Vacation

I stared in wonder at the expanse of golden sand with beautiful blue water gently lapping at it, my first sight of the sea. Nothing in my life had prepared me for this; I'd seen ponds and lakes before, but they were nothing compared to what I was seeing now. This vast expanse of water seemed to stretch on forever; at any rate, I couldn't see the far shore. Perched on my trainer's shoulder, I opened my mouth and gasped in sheer wonder.

"What do you think, Pachirisu?" said April, turning to look at me. "Beautiful, isn't it?"

I gave an excited: "Pachi" and hopped off her shoulder, running to get a closer look at this exciting marvel. My trainer, April, had decided to take a break from her Pokemon journey and spend a few days by the sea. As an inland Pokemon, I'd never seen the sea before and, though April's Wartortle had tried to explain, he hadn't quite been able to convey the sheer vastness of it, the sense of wonder when you reach the point where the land ends and the sea begins.

"Slow down, Pachirisu!" April laughed, hurrying to catch up with me. She'd been on her journey for some time and was looking forward to this chance to relax for a few days. Indeed, she'd vowed that this would be a time strictly for kicking back and enjoying herself, that she did not plan to do any serious Pokemon catching for the next few days. She was on a break and so were all her Pokemon.

* * *

Presently, April caught up with me on the sand, where I stood staring out to sea. "Think I should set up here?" she asked me. I shrugged, not knowing what she was talking about, but it seemed to satisfy her. She unzipped her bag and pulled out a large blue towel I'd never seen before, one with the image of a Milotic woven into the fabric. Then, she laid it directly on the sand and pulled off her shorts and t-shirt, revealing that she was wearing a pink swimsuit under her clothes. Having done that, she pulled five Poke Balls out of her bag and opened four of them, revealing my team-mates - Wartortle, Sunflora, Kirlia and Bonsly. Finally, she ran to the water's edge and opened her remaining Poke Ball.

There was a flash of light and a Dewgong materialised, diving under the water and surfacing again seconds later. April watched the white sea-lion for a moment, then turned to the rest of us. "OK," she said. "Off you go and have fun, but don't go too far." With that, she went back to the towel she had laid out, sat down on it and took a book out of her bag. Propping the book open on her lap, she began to read.

Now, my team-mates and I had time to ourselves. Wartortle, being a Water Pokemon, naturally headed straight for the sea and was soon swimming out to join Dewgong. He was the only one of us to do so; Sunflora, Kirlia and I were happy to simply paddle in the shallows, though having the water splashing over my paws took a little getting used to. Only Bonsly hung back, watching us but looking too afraid to join us.

"What's wrong, Bonsly?" I called to him in Pokemon language.

"I - I can't!" Bonsly cried, trembling. "The . . . the water!" He back away, tripping over April's legs in the process.

I wondered what the problem was, why Bonsly was so afraid of the water, but I didn't have to wonder long before Kirlia supplied the answer. "It's because of his Type," she explained, seeing the puzzled look on my face as I gazed at Bonsly. "Bonsly may look like a Grass Type, but he's really a Rock Type. And Rock Pokemon don't like getting wet - that's why he doesn't want to go near the water."

* * *

I felt sorry for Bonsly; while Dewgong and Wartortle were swimming out to sea and Sunflora, Kirlia and I were paddle in the shallows, he was alone on the shore. He looked so sad that I just had to do something to cheer him up. I got out of the water and scampered over to him. "Hey," I said, sitting down beside him. "Need some company?"

He managed a slight smile. "Thanks. I was feeling a bit lonely 'cause you were all playing in the water and I can't."

"I know - Kirlia told me. But you can still play on the sand," I added. I knew April had packed an inflatable ball in her bag; she would probably blow it up later so we could all play with it. All except Dewgong, that is; if the ball got caught on his horn, he could end up bursting it. Anyway, though the sea looked really beautiful and inviting, I decided to forego paddling in favour of keeping Bonsly company. And there were plenty of things we could do that didn't involve getting wet, so Bonsly needn't feel too left out.

I waved my bushy tail at Bonsly, inviting him to chase me; a game of chase would not only be fun for both of us, it would keep us fit ready for our next Pokemon battle. We may have come to the beach to relax and have fun, but that was no reason to neglect our training totally. I waited until I had Bonsly's attention, then ran a little way as he toddled after me on his short legs. "Can't catch me!" I called after him, running across the sand, taking care not to get too close to the water's edge. For, as Kirlia had told me, Rock Pokemon hate water; since then, I've learned that many hate it so much that they freak out if they receive so much as a light splash.

Anyway, I played chase with Bonsly for a while, though I was mindful of the fact that he was slower than me and took care not to get too far ahead of him. I even let him catch me a couple of times, knocking me to the sand, where we play-wrestled with each other for a few moments before getting up and continuing the game. As we rolled around, we laughed together and enjoyed ourselves so much that Bonsly had no time to think about the expanse of water only a few feet away.

* * *

A little later, Sunflora came out of the water to keep Bonsly company and give me a chance to play in the water. Dewgong was still swimming out to sea, as was Wartortle, two Water Pokemon literally in their element; they were both quite some distance from the shore. But, then, Wartortle turned and called across to Kirlia and me. "Hey, you two! Want to join us?"

"We'd love to!" Kirlia called back. "But we're not Water Pokemon!" While most Pokemon species can swim, only Water Pokemon are truly at home in an aquatic environment. The thought of venturing as far out to sea as Dewgong and Wartortle unnerved me, but then I thought of Bonsly, who couldn't go near the water at all . . .

"I believe I can solve that," said Dewgong, swimming closer to the shore. "Get on," he told myself and Kirlia, nodding towards his broad white back. We climbed up - I was next to Dewgong's neck and Kirlia was behind me - and Dewgong pushed out to sea. It was a ride like nothing I had ever experienced, perched on the back of a large Water Pokemon and with another Water Pokemon swimming alongside. Soon, we were far out to sea, but still within sight of land; looking back, I could see Sunflora and Bonsly on the shore and waved to them. Sunflora waved back with her leaves, but Bonsly wouldn't have anything to wave with until he evolved into Sudowoodo. Instead, he did a little dance.

Dewgong let us ride him for a while, swimming along the shore with a Kirlia and a Pachirisu on his back and a Wartortle swimming alongside. Maybe, one day, Wartortle would evolve into a Blastoise and be able to give rides as well. But, for now, he wasn't quite big enough to swim with the additional weight of another Pokemon on his back. Actually, he could probably have taken my weight or Sunflora's, but not Kirlia's . . . In any case, Kirlia and I rode on Dewgong's back, feeling the spray of water on our faces as we surfed along.

This, I thought to myself, this was the life. I could feel the sea breeze in my fur, see the clouds hanging in the blue sky like the wings on a Swablu or Altaria, the flock of Wingulls circling around overhead. It was a chance to forget about everything except what was happening here and now. And, if it had been possible to do so, I would have had time stop at that very moment, a moment I would always remember.


	22. Mother Nature

****

Mother Nature

Nature is full of small miracles. A flower opening its petals in the sunlight, a baby Pokemon nuzzling against its mother, the moment when a Pokemon evolves . . . These are the little things that seem insignificant by themselves, but together they make up a vast circle of life. Every living thing, no matter what form it takes, is part of nature; there is no escaping that fact, no matter how much some humans may try to pretend otherwise.

As a Grass Pokemon (specifically, a Venusaur) I am highly tuned to my environment. Though I resemble an animal, albeit one with a large flower on my back, I can sense what plants are thinking, not that they think in a way you would recognise as thinking; after all, they don't have brains. But "thinking" is about as close as I can come to describing what I can sense from plants. All Grass Type Pokemon have this ability, even those who, like my evolutionary line, seem more like animals than plants. In fact, out of the seventeen Pokemon Types, we are perhaps the ones who are closest to nature.

Home for me is a house a few miles from the nearest town, where I live with an elderly female human called Belle. I've known Belle since she was a young girl and I was a Bulbasaur, nearly sixty years ago now. When she was younger, she used to train me and battle me against other Pokemon, but she was never one of those kids who went off on Pokemon journeys; instead, she prefered to stay at home. She had no ambition to win Gym Badges and get into the Pokemon League and being a Co-ordinator didn't appeal to her either.

Instead, Belle raised me from a Bulbasaur to an Ivysaur, then to a Venusaur. When she grew up, she bought the house she still lives in and turned the vast garden into a haven for Pokemon. You can find a variety of species here, mainly Grass and Bug Types, but there are a few others. For example, the garden pond is home to Water Pokemon such as Poliwag, Wooper, Lotad and Magikarp. But, though we have all these Pokemon living with us, they are all wild; I'm the only Pokemon which actually belongs to Belle.

* * *

Near the house, Belle has cultivated a small plot of land, but the garden beyond has been allowed to grow naturally. Some would probably call it an eyesore, but Belle says she does it to allow wild Pokemon a chance to live in their natural habitat. Belle says nature knows best and humans should not try too hard to tame it because they will always lose in the end. So, for example, if a tree falls, she lets it lie where it fell, no clearing dead wood round here. Among other things, fallen tree trunks, especially if they're hollow, make ideal homes for Paras colonies.

I often take a walk in what Belle calls the "wild garden" to chat to the Pokemon living there. Most are full-time residents, but there are also those who stop by for a brief visit, especially in the spring when wild Pokemon are mating and raising their young. One year, a male and a female Pikachu took up residence in a hollow at the base of a tree, where they produced an egg which later hatched into an adorable Pichu. Out of respect for the Pikachu couple's privacy, I did not watch the egg hatch; the first time I saw the Pichu was when its mother took it out of the nest for the first time. It seemed a little scared when it first saw me - well, I must seem like a giant compared to a Pichu - but its mother soon assured it that I meant no harm.

That little family left at the end of the summer. I haven't seen either of the parents since then, but, a few years later, another Pikachu arrived in the garden and made its home in the same hollow. When I went to say hello, I was surprised to find that the Pikachu recognised me - until I realised that it must once have been the Pichu that lived in the garden with its parents. Somewhere down the line, it had evolved.

Anyway, I know all the Pokemon which live in the garden, at least by sight. And I'm on speaking terms with several of them, mostly the Grass Types because they're the ones with whom I have the most in common. And, like I said before, Grass Pokemon are highly sensitive to what plants are feeling; if something is wrong with a plant, we can sense it. As such, the wild Grass Pokemon and I have developed a kind of network for checking on the plants in the garden and, if one of them becomes diseased, we are the first to know.

* * *

Even though the Pokemon living in the garden are wild, Belle cares deeply for their welfare and will often treat those that have been injured. Mostly, she takes them into the house and looks after them there, with a little help from her two youngest grandchildren, neither of whom are old enough to be Pokemon trainers yet. Sometimes, however, a Pokemon is so badly injured that it has to be taken to the Pokemon Centre. But, whether Belle treats it herself or takes it to the Pokemon Centre, it is always set free once it is fully recovered.

Sadly, not all the injured Pokemon Belle cares for make it back into the wild. Once, she took in a sick Pachirisu, but, despite all her efforts, it died a few days later. Belle buried it in a wooded area of the garden, saying it was what the Pachirisu would want, to be near the trees it climbed when it was alive. She seemed saddened, but she was also philosophical, saying that, if things didn't die, the world would eventually become hopelessly overcrowded.

For death is also a part of nature, albeit one which most try to avoid thinking about. Without it to thin out populations, no species would be able to thrive; each new generation would simply lead to more and more individuals competing for resources. That's why nothing can live forever, why any attempt by humans to eliminate death is doomed to failure. Death has a purpose in nature; it ensures that populations don't become too large.

Now that Belle and I are of mature years (a Venusaur usually lives for around seventy years) we've both become aware that our time is almost up, that we must one day pass on and make way for a younger generation. As such, Belle has left a set of instructions regarding what she wishes should happen when the time comes; it's in the top drawer of the desk in her front room.

First of all, she wishes that the house and the garden should be passed on to her daughter, on condition that the garden remains a haven for wild Pokemon. And, if I am still alive at that point, Belle's daughter will inherit me at the same time. Finally, Belle wishes to be cremated and her ashes scattered over the garden so she can become a part of it forever. She says the last thing she wants (no pun intended) is to be buried in a cemetery, surrounded on all sides by total strangers.

* * *

Trainers sometimes stumble across the garden; there is no Pokemon Gym in the local town, but a number of trainers do pass through on the way to places which do have Gyms. Belle is friendly towards those who find our little retreat, offering to heal their Pokemon for free and even allowing them to catch some of the wild Pokemon who live in the garden. There is one condition, though; no trainer can catch more than ten Pokemon per visit and they must use the specially crafted Poke Balls Belle gives them. She calls them "Garden Balls" and always keeps a supply on standby, giving them to passing trainers ten at a time. Once a trainer has used up their ten Garden Balls, it's game over, even if they didn't manage to catch ten Pokemon.

Belle says she understands why Pokemon trainers want to catch as many Pokemon as they can, but she also says that, unless they show restraint, too many Pokemon will be caught and there won't be as many left in the wild. That's why she puts a limit on the number of Pokemon trainers can catch from the garden and it's also why she never advertises the fact that she allows people to catch Pokemon. She says, if she did, the place would be over-run with trainers trying to catch another Pokemon to add to their collections.

And too many visitors would eventually spoil the natural beauty of this place, so Belle always asks the trainers who visit us to respect nature, to avoid dropping litter, to avoid disturbing Pokemon who are mating or nurturing young. She says the most important lesson a young person can learn is that humans are not more important than nature, but are as much a part of it as the smallest Caterpie.


	23. Cat

****

Cat

I burst out of my Poke Ball in a shower of yellow stars, the result of the Seals that had been stuck on the Capsule which held my Ball. "Persian, Delcatty, strut your stuff!" I heard Lexi call out as I emerged and landed daintily on my paws. At the same instant, an elegant Persian landed beside me.

Lexi is the girl who caught me when I was still a Skitty. She's a Pokemon co-ordinator, which means she trains her Pokemon to compete in Contests; as such, her training methods tend to focus on making a Pokemon's moves look as spectacular as possible. She also tends to favour cat-like Pokemon because of their poise and elegance; as well as me, she has a Persian, an Espeon and a Shinx. Right now, we were busy preparing for our next Contest.

"Persian!" Lexi called to the cream-coloured cat standing next to me. "Shadow Ball! Delcatty! Use Ice Beam!"

This was the new move combo she wanted to try, the idea being that Persian should use Shadow Ball and I should use Ice Beam to freeze it, before we both used Thunderbolt to explode it in mid-air and send a shower of sparkling ice crystals raining down. We (Persian and I) had practiced our moves separately several times, but this was the first time we were going to try to put it all together, to work together on creating an appeal out of those three moves. Timing was everything; when presenting appeals in a Pokemon Contest, the Pokemon have to learn to co-ordinate their moves for maximum impact. Which is probably why humans who train their Pokemon for Contests are called "co-ordinators" . . .

Anyway, Persian opened his mouth slightly, as a purple-black ball began to form. At the same instant that he launched his Shadow Ball, I began to ready my Ice Beam; I could feel the slightly cold sensation in my throat as the pressure built up, but held it in check until the Shadow Ball neared the peak of its ascent. Then, I let go, firing a blue-white beam of ice at the ball of dark energy overhead. The Shadow Ball froze instantly and, as it began its descent, Persian and I began to ready our Thunderbolts. I felt electricity building up in my body, my fur beginning to stand on end. Then . . .

I don't know why what happened next happened. All I know is that I suddenly couldn't contain the power that had built up inside me. Before I could stop myself, I let fly with a Thunderbolt, but my timing was off and it missed the frozen Shadow Ball completely. I was mortified; Lexi and I had gone over this move countless times, so I knew Persian and I were supposed to fire our Thunderbolts at the exact same moment, but I had lost control. I had ruined Lexi's combo.

"It's OK, Delcatty," Lexi told me, stroking my soft fur. "Everyone makes mistakes. Let's try again."

* * *

And we tried again, and again. But it seemed that, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't time my Thunderbolt so that I used it at precisely the same moment as Persian. What was going wrong? I could do it all right when I was practicing on my own, so why should now be any different?

To make matters worse, Persian and I were the only Pokemon Lexi could use in this combo. Persian was the only one who could learn both Shadow Ball and Thunderbolt, while I was the only one who could learn Ice Beam. And I had timed everything perfectly - until it came to the final Thunderbolt. It wasn't like I was becoming clumsy or anything like that; as a Delcatty, I am far too poised and elegant for things like that. Rather, it seemed that, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get my timing right. But why? What was the difference between practising my moves on my own and using them in tandem with Persian?

As if that wasn't bad enough, Lexi's next Contest was less than a week away. I had only a few days to nail this combo, to get my timing right. But, try as I might, I couldn't seem to stop myself from letting off my Thunderbolt too early and ruining Lexi's carefully planned appeal. I don't normally suffer from stage fright, but, as the day of the Contest drew nearer, I began to feel very apprehensive. What if I messed up in front of a crowd of spectators? What if . . .?

* * *

The night before the Contest, Lexi stopped at a Pokemon Centre near the Contest Hall. As I watched her trying on the outfit she was going to wear for the Contest (a black dress trimmed with magenta ribbons, plus a headband made to look like a set of Meowth ears) I thought of how I had tried so hard to master her latest combo. But my timing on the Thunderbolt kept letting me down and ruining everything. And time was rapidly running out; it would take a miracle for me to get it right now.

"Ready for another run-through?" Lexi asked me, after she had changed out of her Contest outfit and into her usual jeans and t-shirt. As she spoke, she picked up Persian's Poke Ball and prepared to let him out.

Suddenly, something snapped inside me. I couldn't do it; even if I stayed up all night practising, I wouldn't be able to get her combo right. I had tried, but I couldn't seem to control my Thunderbolt. And, when presenting Contest appeals, the Pokemon have to be able to control their moves to ensure maximum visual impact. I knew from experience that judges took marks off if a Pokemon got its timing wrong, though this had not happened to me - yet. But, if I tried to use Lexi's combo tomorrow . . .

I jumped up, ran over to the open window and jumped out. I landed on my paws (one of the advantages of being a cat-Pokemon is that you nearly always land on your paws when you fall from a height) and ran off into the night. I heard Lexi calling after me. "Delcatty! Come back!" But I didn't care. All I could think about was the fact that I couldn't face the prospect of humiliating myself in front of everyone.

* * *

I don't know how long I ran and I certainly had no idea where I was going. The only thing I cared about was putting as much distance as possible between myself and the Contest Hall. For that place would, I was sure, be the scene of the most embarassing moment of my life, the moment when I messed up Lexi's carefully planned combo in front of everyone. If I'd stopped to think, I might have realised that running away from your problems doesn't solve anything. But I didn't; I just kept running, until I got hopelessly lost.

I was in an alley somewhere in a strange city and it was starting to rain. I could feel the droplets falling on my fur and felt myself shudder; if there's one thing cats hate more than anything, it's getting wet. I shivered and pressed myself against the wall in a vain attempt to avoid the water that was falling from the sky. Why, I asked myself, had I run away? Lexi cared deeply about all her Pokemon; she must be out of her mind with worry by now. And that was the last thing she needed when she was supposed to be preparing for tomorrow's Contest.

On the other hand, the Contest was the reason I'd run away in the first place. And why had I done that? Because I was too proud to risk humiliating myself by messing up Lexi's combo - that's why. I thought this over and suddenly realised how foolish I was being; I had run away from the girl who had raised me from a Skitty because of my foolish pride. I felt wetness on my face, but could not tell if it was from the rain or from tears.

Suddenly, I heard something behind me. I turned around to see a handsome Ninetales standing there, looking at me with a serious expression on his face. "What's wrong?" he asked me, sitting down with his nine tails fanned out behind him.

"It's . . . it's nothing," I stammered, turning my head away.

But the only response the Ninetales gave to this was to give me another serious look. "Come on," he said. "I can tell something's wrong - what is it?"

"Just go away!" I snapped, feeling my hackles rise as though I was in a Pokemon battle, facing an opponent.

"No, not until you tell me what's troubling you."

I sighed deeply. "Very well . . ."

* * *

And I told the Ninetales the whole story of how I was trying to master Lexi's latest combo for tomorrow's Contest, but my timing on the Thunderbolt finale kept letting me down. I had run away because I couldn't face the humiliation of getting it wrong in front of thousands of people. When I had finished, the Ninetales gave me that serious look again. "Is that all?" he asked me. "Listen, everyone gets things wrong occasionally. But, if you keep thinking about what you got wrong, you'll start to think you'll never be able to do it right."

"You think so?"

He nodded. "I know so. When I was a Vulpix, I lost a battle because I missed with a Flamethrower. It was a while before I had the courage to battle again, but . . ."

"But I haven't got a while!" I retorted, cutting him off in mid-sentence. "The Contest is tomorrow!"

Once again, that serious look appeared on the face of the Ninetales. "But, even if you don't manage to get it right, it's not the end of the world. So try to relax - don't think about it too much. Besides, if Lexi's one of those humans who care about their Pokemon, I'm sure she'll forgive you if things don't exactly go according to plan."

I thought about it and realised that what the Ninetales said was true; I wouldn't lose Lexi's favour just because one of my appeals didn't come off perfectly. With renewed confidence, I agreed that the Ninetales (who told me he knew this city very well) could lead me back to the Pokemon Centre, back to Lexi.


	24. No Time

****

No Time

Time has stood still in this old mansion; everything is exactly as it was those many years ago when the last humans to live here fled from a terrible curse.

You might wonder how it is that a building can stay exactly the same for so long. Surely the effects of time and weather should eventually cause it to start crumbling to nothing. Well, not in this case. For the curse on this building has placed it in a kind of "No Time"; it might appear to be part of the ordinary world, but it's really in another dimension. And, if any unwary humans were to stay in this place for too long, they too would be caught in the No Time and be trapped here for all eternity.

Only Ghost Pokemon are immune, so it won't surprise you to learn that I am a Ghost Pokemon. To be precise, I am a Haunter and I used to belong to one of the humans who fled from the curse, from the No Time. Now, I and several other Ghost Pokemon make this our home; we can exist here safely, but humans and Pokemon of Types other than Ghost cannot.

If you saw this house during the day, you wouldn't suspect that anything was amiss. True, the decor might seemed to be stuck in a time warp, but there would be nothing to indicate that this was the result of the curse which has trapped this place in the No Time. But, by night, it takes on a far more sinister atmosphere. For that is when my fellow Ghosts and I become active, doing everything in our power to scare away any humans who have been foolish enough to enter this place. Under the curse, they have until the following dawn to escape; otherwise the No Time will trap them.

And what exactly is the No Time? It's hard to explain, but it basically means that, no matter how much time passes in the outside world, time always stands still here. There is a grandfather clock in the hall whose hands are permanently frozen at 9:45, not because no-one has been around to wind it but because that was the time when the humans who used to live here fled as this house became trapped in the No Time.

* * *

It is night and the house has taken on an air of terror, as it always does after the sun goes down.

Watching from one of the upstairs windows, I can see a group of three humans approaching. They are young, probably around the same age my old trainer was when I last saw him, and consist of two males and a female. The female has a Pokemon in her arms, a Teddiursa; it reminds me of the Teddiursa which belonged to my trainer's little sister. I can't hear what they are saying, but, as I watch, they walk up to the front door and one of the males slowly pushes it open.

Foolish humans - do they have any idea of the danger they just walked into? I float down the stairs, past the portrait of my trainer's great-grandfather, and listen to their conversation.

"Are you sure it's all right us being here?" asks one of the males, who has brown hair and wears grey shorts and a blue t-shirt.

"Stop worrying, Eliot!" says the other male. He has fair hair and his clothes consist of blue jeans and a red-and-white shirt. "I told you - no-one lives here. It's just an old, abandoned house."

"Just the same," the female adds cautiously, "we'd better be careful. I read something about a cursed house once - maybe it was this one."

Her statement is immediately greeted with derision. "Really, Kaye, not you too! Curses are just a silly superstition; there's nothing to be afraid of. Besides . . ." Before he can finishing speaking, I float up behind him, invisible, and lift him into the air as his two friends look on in disbelief.

"Hey, Matt!" the female called Kaye calls. "What are you doing up there?" Her Teddiursa clings to her leg and whimpers, scared. Clearly, it has sensed the evil in this place; Pokemon, unlike most humans, are highly sensitive to such things. I watch for a moment as Kaye picks up her Pokemon and cuddles it, then turn back to the one called Matt. Clearly, he needs to be taught a lesson . . . Still invisible, I undo the zip on his jeans and pull them down around his ankles, along with his underwear. Matt yelps and hurriedly uses his hands to cover his . . . But I'll let you finish that sentence yourself.

Kaye and Eliot look as though they are trying not to laugh, but neither of them seem to be having much luck. Very well - now I'll get serious. I let Matt drop and, as he quickly pulls his jeans back up, a voice booms out: my voice. I am one of the few Pokemon who have mastered human language and I often use it to try and scare off those humans who are foolish enough to enter this house and risk getting caught in the No Time.

_"Leave this place! You are in great danger!"_

* * *

Matt, Kaye and Eliot exchange frightened glances as they hear my disembodied voice echoing in the hallway. Sometimes, I wish I didn't have to do this, that I could actually make friends with a human like I did with my trainer. But I cannot; my duty is to see that no innocent humans get caught in the No Time. And, to do that, I must do everything in my power to scare them away. I must see to it that they become so frightened that they want nothing more than to get out of here as fast as possible.

"Who . . . who said that?" Eliot exclaims, his voice going up an octave. He looks at Matt as if he wants to leap into his arms for protection.

"Well, it wasn't me!" Matt retorts. Clearly, he isn't going to be easy to scare, but I must try. All three of these young Pokemon trainers must be out of this house before the night is over; any that remain will be caught in the No Time, trapped here forever. I decide to repeat my warning.

_"Doom awaits all who stay here!"_

At the sound of my eerie voice, Kaye and Eliot cling to each other, clearly terrified out of their wits. Capitalising on this, I float up behind Kaye and start running my fingers through her hair, causing her to scream at the top of her lungs. Good - I've got her well and truly spooked. It shouldn't take long before she and Eliot decide this house is too spooky for them and that they would like to get out of here as quickly as possible. But Matt looks like he's going to be a harder nut to crack; he's already made it clear that he doesn't believe in curses.

Sure enough, he gives his two companions a look of contempt and pulls out a Poke Ball. "Look," he says, "whatever's going on here, there's obviously a Ghost Pokemon behind it all." Well, he's right about that. "And all we have to do is force it to reveal itself." He opens the Poke Ball to reveal a Machop, not that it will do him much good. "Use Fore . . ."

Before Matt can finish his command, I use Hypnosis and send his Machop to sleep. Then, I follow through with Dream Eater, draining energy from the Fighting Pokemon and using it to boost my own energy. _"This is your last warning!"_ I declare, using my Psychic Attack to project the sound of my voice and make it sound as though it is echoing all round the room. _"Leave or you are doomed!"_

To back up my words, I let off a Thunderbolt, another move my trainer taught me. As a bolt of lightning appears as if from nowhere, Kaye and Eliot look on in terror. I can tell they want to fight the menace that is confronting them, but how can they fight what they can't see? Especially if that menace calls for reinforcements . . . I send out a telepathic call, telling the other Ghost Pokemon in the house to come and assist me in scaring away these foolish humans.

* * *

Soon, my fellow Ghosts start to converge on the hall, floating through the walls and ceiling as though they were made of air. Matt, Kaye and Eliot are hopelessly outnumbered, surrounded by literally hundreds of Ghost Pokemon, all of them doing their best to look as terrifying as possible. Together, we launch into a collective Night Shade Attack, the air around us pulsing with dark energy as we use our otherworldly powers in a bid to drive off these humans.

"I don't know about you," says Kaye, as my fellow Ghosts and I prepare to launch our attack, "but I'm getting out of here!" She picks up her Teddiursa and runs for the door, as Eliot follows her example. Good - they clearly realise they are outnumbered, that the odds of them being able to take on all of us are virtually non-existent. Even if they send out all of their Pokemon at once, I doubt they will be able to make much of a dent in the ranks of Ghost Pokemon floating before them.

Matt, however, remains stubborn. "Big deal!" he scoffs. "I told you it was only Ghost Pokemon! And I'm going to fight them!" With that, he lets out his five remaining Pokemon - Cloyster, Zigzagoon, Numel, Staravia and Gible - and commands them to attack. And his Pokemon launch themselves at the massed ranks of Ghost Pokemon, but they are hopelessly outnumbered and are quickly defeated. As his last Pokemon (the Zigzagoon) faints, Matt backs away, his eyes wide with terror as my fellow Ghosts and I advance on him.

This boy refused to believe in the curse on this house and, soon, he will realise his folly when he and his Pokemon become trapped here for all eternity, trapped in the No Time.


	25. Trouble Lurking

****

Trouble Lurking

"Yes, there must be a few valuable Pokemon in there. Right, Ariados?"

Beth put away her high-power binoculars and turned to me, grinning in anticipation. I looked at her, dressed in her black skirt and top emblazoned with a bright red R, and nodded, hearing the excitement in her voice. We were on a mission, to pull off a heist on a Pokemon Day Care, and it was Beth's job to scope the place out in preparation. Beth, as you may have guessed by now, is a member of Team Rocket and I am her partner in crime.

I've been Beth's partner in crime since I was still a Spinarak. Not long after she first became a fully fledged Rocket, a group of agents raided the home of a famous Bug Pokemon collector and made off with about thirty specimens, including myself. Most of the Pokemon stolen that day, including a full set of Wormadam, were sold off for profit. I, however, was the exception; Axel, the Rocket in charge of that raid, gave me to Beth, a young recruit he was especially fond of, as a gift. Rockets often do that sort of thing, keep back a Pokemon they've stolen, though they have to be careful not to keep back anything too valuable. If Giovanni were to find out, he would . . . Well, he wouldn't be very pleased.

Anyway, Axel gave me to Beth, telling her I was a "reward" because she had done so well in the raid. But, even then, I could tell the two of them were more than just comrades. There was something about the way they looked at each other that seemed to suggest that they had feelings for each other. Indeed, Beth's "thank you" to him consisted of kissing him very passionately, her hand sliding under his shirt.

* * *

Beth wasted no time in introducing me to her other Pokemon, a Zigzagoon and a Stunky. These two had been with her since before she became a Rocket and were firm friends. They told me what Team Rocket was all about, that I would be expected to help Beth to steal Pokemon and stuff like that. I was intrigued; it sounded much more exciting than the life I'd led until then, a life which consisted of hanging around in a Pokemon collector's garden with not much to do. The collector was just that, a collector; he didn't train the Bug Pokemon he caught.

Beth, however, did train her Pokemon - for a life of crime. We were taught moves like Double Team and Thief, moves which would enable us to both assist Beth in her thieving and evade capture. And I soon learned a move which proved to be very useful when it came to trapping Pokemon: Spider Web. As the name suggests, this involved me shooting a sticky web at my opponents so that they couldn't escape and could easily be captured. Once I'd done that, Beth would throw a Poke Ball to catch the Pokemon, which would then be delivered to Team Rocket Headquarters and Giovanni.

Of course, this method only works with wild Pokemon. If anyone tries to capture a Pokemon which already has a trainer, throwing a Poke Ball won't work as the fact that the Pokemon has already been captured will be detected and the Ball will not open when it hits the Pokemon. In such cases, other tactics are required. One of Beth's favourite tricks is to have Stunky use his foul smell to knock the trainer out, before she (wearing a gas mask) steals their Poke Balls and makes off with them. And, just to make sure they can't catch up with her, she then has me use Spider Web to deploy a sticky net across the nearest pair of trees, or buildings, or whatever happens to be nearby.

However, stealing Pokemon from trainers does take skill. If a Rocket makes a mistake when trying to do so, the trainer is liable to take advantage of this and use their Pokemon to fight back. Such battles often end with the Rocket and their Pokemon being sent flying, what the Rockets call being "blasted off". Beth and I were "blasted off" once; we came across a trainer and, as usual, prepared to relieve him of his Pokemon. But, before I could attack, the trainer sent out a powerful Electivire, who pressed the tips of his tails against Beth and me, then let off a Thunderbolt so strong that we both went flying. Afterwards, Beth cursed her misfortune; an Electivire is valuable Pokemon and the one we saw could have netted Beth a fat bonus if she'd managed to capture it.

* * *

This setback aside, Beth proved to be one of the most proficient thieves in Team Rocket. And, after I evolved into Ariados, she started to use me in captures more often, though Zigzagoon and Stunky still saw their share of action. We often worked alone, but Beth also went on several missions with Axel and his Pokemon, a Quilava and a Hitmonlee. Of course, this meant I got to observe human mating activities at close quarters, but I won't go into that.

Anyway, I was (and still am) a Rocket Pokemon, trained to assist my trainer in her career as a Pokemon thief. It's our job to obtain rare Pokemon by any means possible (especially illegal means) and bring them to Giovanni so he can either use them in some pet project or sell them for profit. I've never questioned the reasoning behind all this and nor does it bother my conscience when Beth uses me to steal a Pokemon. As far as I'm concerned, stealing Pokemon is her job and it's my job to help her. Besides, if I let bother me, I'd be dumped faster than you can say "rare Pokemon".

That's what happened to a Pokemon I knew, a Venomoth belonging to another female Rocket named Lex. I saw them in action a few times and they were a pretty formidable team, but the Venomoth then stopped listening to Lex's commands. One day, he confided to me that he felt it was wrong to steal Pokemon and even worse for a Pokemon to assist in the stealing of Pokemon. After all, why couldn't the Rockets catch all their Pokemon legally like everyone else? I just laughed at him and told him he was "losing faith in Team Rocket".

Not long after this, Beth and Lex were both involved in a mission to poach Pokemon from a reserve near Violet City. The plan was for the Rockets involved in the mission to send out Pokemon that knew immobilising moves, such as Venomoth's Stun Spore or my String Shot, and use them to render the target Pokemon helpless. Then, the Rockets would grab as many as they could carry and escape before the humans running the reserve appeared on the scene. But, when Lex ordered Venomoth to use Stun Spore on a small group of baby Pokemon we found, Venomoth refused to obey her and even attacked his trainer instead, using the very move she had told him to use on the baby Pokemon. Lex was in the sickbay at Team Rocket Headquarters for a week afterwards - and she was not happy.

After she had recovered, she called Venomoth out of his Poke Ball and told him he had "failed her for the last time". Then, she ordered him to go away and never come back, sending out her other Pokemon (a Houndour) and having him attack Venomoth with Ember when Venomoth refused to leave. Since Bug Pokemon are weak against Fire, Venomoth had to flee to avoid the hot flames. I was training nearby with Beth and her other Pokemon, so I saw (and heard) the whole thing.

But that's not going to happen to me - because I'm not going to let it. Whatever Beth asks of me, I will obey her. It is Beth's mission to steal Pokemon and it is my mission to help her; a trained Pokemon's first loyalty is to their trainer, even if that trainer happens to be a member of a criminal gang. Lex's Venomoth went soft and forgot his duties as a Rocket Pokemon, but I'll never let foolish sentiment stop me from doing what I have to do.

* * *

Of course, there are certain human do-gooders who are always trying to break Team Rocket up and "rescue" the Pokemon the Rockets steal. A sizeable number of Rockets, including Beth, have done time in jail for Pokemon theft, but there's always a batch of fresh recruits to take the place of those who have foolishly allowed themselves to be caught, besides which Giovanni is so rich that he can just buy his agents out of jail. And, of course, most of the Rockets who end up in jail simply go back to Pokemon thieving when they get out.

In short, you can't get rid of Team Rocket so easily. You may defeat individual Rockets, even individual Team Rocket cells, but Team Rocket is a large organisation with agents operating all over Kanto and Johto. I've even heard of Rockets operating in other regions, so, no matter how hard the "authorities" try to get rid of them, there will always be Rockets lurking out there, ready to cause trouble. Those on the side of "law and order" may win battles against Team Rocket, but the war is never-ending and neither side is prepared to surrender.

Oh, and the heist I mentioned at the start? With my help, Beth managed to steal fifteen Pokemon, including a Shiny Flygon. Not bad for a day's thieving.


	26. Tears

****

Tears

Mummy had always told me never to wander too far by myself. She said it was too dangerous for me to go much more than an Onix-length from the den unless she, or another Clefairy, was with me. And, to reinforce the point, she would tell me a story about a Cleffa who wandered away from home and got eaten by a hungry Seviper, though I didn't know if that really happened.

One day, however, I was sitting outside the den while Mummy was talking to the Marill who lived near us. Suddenly, I saw a Beautifly swarm flying overhead; they looked really pretty and I wondered where they were going.

"Hey!" I called after them. "Where are you going?"

They didn't answer; maybe they couldn't hear me. So I decided to follow them and did so, hoping I would find out where they were flying to. I followed them for a long time and, before I knew it, I was far away from the den. I looked up, hoping to see the Beautifly swarm, but they were gone and I couldn't see them. I knew I should get back to the den before Mummy noticed I was gone; unfortunately, I'd been paying attention to the Beautifly swarm and not where I was going.

I was lost and alone. I didn't know where I was or how to get back home. And I was frightened, more frightened than I'd ever been without Mummy to comfort me. I remembered the story about the Cleffa who got eaten by a Seviper and I got _really_ scared. What if the same thing happened to me?

Tears began to well up in my eyes and I began to cry.

* * *

Sitting at the base of a tree, I cried bitterly. I cried for Mummy, who had always loved and cared for me, but whom I might never see again. I cried for the fact that I didn't know how to get back home. I cried because I was afraid a Seviper, or some other predatory Pokemon would come and eat me. Of course, a little Cleffa wouldn't be much more than a snack, but I was still frightened. So I cried, tears leaking out of my eyes and trickling down my face.

Between sobs, I tried calling for help. "Mummy, where are you?" But Mummy didn't come; I was too far away and she couldn't hear me. That made me cry harder, as my mind filled with thoughts that I might be all alone for the rest of my life. Why had I let my curiosity get the better of me? Why had I followed that Beautifly swarm? If I hadn't, if I'd just stood and watched them fly past, I would now be safe at home with Mummy. Instead, I was lost, lost and alone.

"Mummy," I sobbed, "why don't you come to me?"

But, needless to say, she didn't come. More than anything, I wanted her to appear and hug me to tell me that everything would be all right. I had never been so far away from her before and it frightened me. What if I never saw her again? I didn't mean to wander so far; I was just following that Beautifly swarm because I was curious to know where they were going. Now, however, they were long gone and I had no idea how to get home.

All of a sudden, as I continued sobbing, I heard a noise behind me. I looked up with a start and, through my tear-filled eyes, I saw a Miltank looking down at me. "What's wrong, little one?" she asked me, giving me a comforting pat.

"I . . . I can't find my way home!" I sobbed. "I followed a Beautifly swarm and got lost!"

* * *

Between sobs, I told the Miltank the whole story. I told her how I had seen the Beautifly swarm flying overhead and wanted to know where they were going. So I had followed them, but I didn't realise I was getting further from home than I had ever been before. When I did realise this, it was too late and I had ended up somewhere that was completely unfamiliar to me. I had no idea how to get home and I was frightened by the thought that I might never see Mummy again. That was why I had started crying.

When I had finished, the Miltank looked at me, a sympathetic expression on her face. "Don't cry," she told me. "If you want to go home, I can help you."

My tears stopped instantly when she said that. "Really? You can take me home?" For the first time since I found myself lost and alone, I felt a glimmer of hope. Maybe I would see Mummy again after all.

"Well, I can't actually take you myself," the Miltank said. "But," she added as tears welled up in my eyes again, the product of dashed hope, "I know a Pokemon who can."

"You do? Who?"

The Miltank did not answer. Instead, she gave a piercing whistle and, moments later, a handsome Swellow came flying towards us and landed on the ground, a couple of Pikachu-lengths away from me. "Can you help this Cleffa?" I heard the Miltank telling the Swellow. "I found her crying and she says she can't find her way home."

"I'll do my best," said the Swellow. Then, he turned to me. "Where do you live?"

"In a den with Mummy," I replied. "It's in an old tree stump." I looked at him hopefully. "Can you really help me get back there?"

The Swellow nodded. "I know every bit of this area," he said, nodding over his shoulder. "Hop on and I'll fly you there."

* * *

I hopped onto the Swellow's back, holding onto his head feathers to keep myself from falling as he prepared to take off. As he lifted off the ground, I called out to the Miltank, thanking her for helping me when I was alone and frightened. Because of her, I would soon see Mummy again, but I knew that, the next time I wandered so far away from home by myself, I might not be lucky enough to meet a kind Pokemon who would help me like the Miltank and the Swellow were helping me now. I would, I promised myself, never disobey Mummy again.

Soon, I was flying through the air on the back of a Swellow. It was really exciting; I'd never been up so high before and everything looked so different from up here. Everything looked so much smaller; at one point, I saw an Onix which looked like it was about the size of a Wurmple. And I could see for a very long way, further than I could see down on the ground. As the Swellow flew with me on his back, I forgot that I had been crying and scared only a short time ago and began to laugh with excitement.

Eventually, I saw a tree stump down below. The Swellow saw it too and went down lower until we both saw a Clefairy pacing up and down in front of the stump, looking anxious. "Mummy!" I shouted, as the Swellow landed and I slid off his back and ran towards her. Tears welled up in my eyes once more, but, this time, they were tears of happiness.


	27. Foreign

****

Foreign

My trainer and I stood at the ship's rail as we received our first site of a new region. There it was - Sinnoh, a mountainous northern region and a complete contrast to our native Johto.

"Look, Growlithe!" Rick (my trainer) called, pointing towards the horizon. "That must be Sunyshore City!" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a wallet with a Poke Ball design on it, opening it to reveal eight Gym Badges, the Gym Badges he had earned on his journey through the Johto region. I had helped him win some of those Badges and sat up proudly as I remembered those battles. Now, however, Rick had finished his Johto League quest and was looking for a fresh challenge.

The easiest option would have been to cross the border into Kanto, but Rick said that was what nearly every trainer in Johto did after they were finished with their own Pokemon League. He wanted to do something different, take on the Pokemon League in one of the other regions. He'd heard of a region called Unova, but quickly ruled it out as being too far from home, though he did say he might check the place out one day.

In the end, he narrowed his choices down to Hoenn or Sinnoh, before choosing the latter based on a coin toss - heads for Hoenn, tails for Sinnoh. The coin had landed on tails and, now, here we were about to arrive in Sinnoh.

* * *

I wondered what Sinnoh would be like. I'd never set paw outside Johto, not until Rick and I boarded the ship which would take us to a new region and new adventures. What sort of Pokemon would we encounter? Where was the nearest Sinnoh League Gym? These questions and many others circulated through my head as I stood beside my trainer, both of us on the verge of entering a foreign land. But, whatever it was like, I promised myself that I would stick by Rick no matter what; as a Growlithe, I am naturally fiercely loyal to my trainer and I will do anything to protect him.

The ship on which we had sailed was called the Saint Anne II. It had been built to replace the original Saint Anne, which sank off the coast of Kanto a few years back; Rick had found this information in a leaflet and read it out to me. Anyway, the Saint Anne had been very popular with Pokemon trainers, so a new ship had been commissioned and built to ferry trainers around the world. Like its predecessor, the Saint Anne II was based in Vermilion City, but it also docked at Olivine City in Johto (which is where Rick and I boarded), Slateport City in Hoenn and Sunyshore City in Sinnoh, as well as several other ports.

Now, we were bound for Sunyshore City, our gateway to the Sinnoh region. When we got there, Rick planned to register for the Sinnoh League and start travelling round the local Gym circuit. According to the book on the Sinnoh League which Rick had picked up from the ship's gift shop, the Gym in Sunyshore City used Electric Pokemon. I'd never battled at an Electric Pokemon Gym before, but Rick had used me in his battle at Olivine Gym to take out Jasmine's Electric/Steel Magnemite.

Anyway, it looked as though our first Sinnoh Gym battle would be against Electric Pokemon and I mentally went over the other Pokemon in Rick's party, trying to decide which of us might see action in the forthcoming match.

There was Rhyhorn; since he was immune to Electric Attacks, he was the most obvious choice. Next came Tangrowth, Ursaring, Manectric and myself, which meant Rick also had a Grass Type, a Normal Type, an Electric Type and a Fire Type in his arsenal. That left Croconaw, who had once been the Totodile Rick chose as his starter, but he was weak against Electric Pokemon. Just like I was weak against his Water Attacks, I thought to myself, recalling how Rick had used his Croconaw in the battle to capture me.

* * *

Just then, a voice from the ship's loudspeakers cut through my thoughts. "Your attention please. This ship will be docking in ten minutes."

Rick turned to me, a look of excitement in his eyes. "C'mon, Growlithe! We're nearly there!" With that, he walked away from the rail and I followed at his heels. I'm his favourite Pokemon, so I spend a great deal of time outside my Poke Ball. This meant that I was the first Pokemon in Rick's party to see Sinnoh; all the others would have to wait until they were let out of their Balls.

I wagged my tail and looked up at Rick with a smile on my doggy face. From the moment he first caught me, we have understood and respected each other, which enables us to work as a team; I battle for Rick because it is my desire to do so in order to please my trainer, not because my trainer forces me to battle. Another thing Rick has promised never to force on any of his Pokemon is evolution; he lets us evolve in our own time. In my case, he has acquired a Fire Stone, but has promised not to use it on me until I am ready.

Will I ever be ready? Will I ever feel that the time is right for me to take such a huge step? An Arcanine is a powerful and beautiful Pokemon, famous for its speed and agility. I would like to have that power some day, but not just yet. I am happy to stay a Growlithe for a while longer and, unlike some trainers (who use their evolution Stones whenever it suits them, regardless of whether the Pokemon concerned wants to evolve or not) Rick is content to let me.

* * *

These thoughts and many others went through my mind as the ship drew closer to the port. Soon, we pulled up at the harbour and the long process of unloading began. As the passengers prepared to disembark, I watched each of them, wondering where they were bound once they were in Sinnoh and whether Rick and I would encounter them on our Sinnoh League journey. Perhaps, but I had no way of knowing for sure, so all I could do was speculate about they might do.

There was the teenaged girl with a Swablu on her shoulder. She had the air of a Pokemon Co-ordinator about her; Rick and I met a couple of Co-ordinators in Goldenrod City and the girl with the Swablu had the same fashion-conscious look that they had. So I guessed she would be taking on the Sinnoh Contest circuit, but I didn't know for sure. Just because she _looked_ like a Co-ordinator it didn't necessarily mean that she was.

Then there was the middle-aged man in a smart suit; he was probably on some kind of business trip. I saw a young couple standing with their arms around each other, a Pikachu on the woman's shoulder and a Jolteon walking beside the man. For them, this appeared to be a romantic holiday, though the fact they had each brought at least one Pokemon along suggested that they planned to do a little training while they were at it. And, not far from them, a slightly older couple shepherded together three little boys, the eldest of whom was carrying an Oddish in his arms.

These were just a few of those who were about to set foot in Sinnoh. For some, it would be the first time they had ever done so and that included Rick and myself. As the Saint Anne II finally pulled in at Sunyshore Harbour, we waited while the ship was secured to its moorings. Then, it was time to disembark.

Before long, Rick and I were walking down the gangplank and, a minute or so after that, we set foot (or paw in my case) in Sinnoh. We were now on foreign soil.


	28. Sorrow

****

Sorrow

As I gazed down at the wooden box containing the remains of my trainer, I felt a heart-wrenching pain deep inside me. It was not a physical pain, but it was no less acute for that. It was the pain you feel when something that was special to you is lost forever and, no matter how much you want it back, you can never regain it. It was the pain of sorrow.

I felt a human hand on my shoulder and turned to see Petra, the girl who had been my trainer's best friend, standing beside me. Instead of her usual shorts and t-shirt, she was wearing a smart black dress with matching shoes, black being the colour of sorrow and mourning among humans; even I had been given a black ribbon to wear around my neck. And, I noted, she was crying, tears coursing slowly down her face.

"Are you OK, Illumise?" Petra asked me.

I didn't reply; there was nothing I could say. I'd lost my trainer, with whom I had always had a special bond, and it felt like I would never be "OK" again, like the pain of sorrow would never end. I wished I could just wake up and all this would be a terrible dream, that Steven (my trainer) would appear and all would be as it used to be. But, no matter how much I wished it could be otherwise, this was the waking world. This was reality.

"You're going to miss him, aren't you?" was Petra's next question.

I nodded slowly as I stood there, an Illumise standing beside a human girl, both of us mourning the loss of someone who had been a friend to both of us. And I began to remember . . .

* * *

I was always Steven's favourite Pokemon, the one to whom he was closer than any of his others. I'd certainly known him longer than the others; indeed, I was the Pokemon he took with him when he began his journey. I suppose an Illumise was rather an unusual choice for a boy (Boys tend to prefer strong and tough Pokemon, not that I'm endorsing stereotypes) but Steven told me that the two of us would go far. However, that would never - could never - happen now.

Anyway, Steven took me with him on his Pokemon journey and, not long after we set out, we met Petra. We were on the road to the next town, walking side by side - Steven often let me travel outside my Poke Ball - when a voice called out to Steven. "Hey! Are you a Pokemon trainer?"

We turned to see a girl of about the same age as Steven standing on the path, a Poke Ball in her hand. "If you are, let's have a battle!" she called out, running forward eagerly, looking like she was ready for any challenge.

"You're on!" Steven declared. He turned to me and pointed in the direction of the girl. "Illumise, go!" I immediately got into a fighting stance; this would be my first battle against another trained Pokemon and I was determined to do my best. I'd only known Steven a short time, but we were already close friends and I thought we would be together for years to come. Alas, it was not to be.

The girl threw the Poke Ball she had been holding, shouting: "Bidoof, go!" as she did so. A brown beaver-like Pokemon burst out of the Ball in a flash of light and stood opposite me, ready to fight. "Tackle, now!" the girl called, pointing in my direction as she spoke.

"Tackle back, Illumise!" Steven countered, as the Bidoof began to run towards me.

And I ran to meet the Bidoof, each of us ready to knock the other flying. We collided and sent each other sprawling in the dirt, but neither of us took too much damage and the battle continued. Since we were new to Pokemon battles, Bidoof and I only knew basic Attacks, but Steven had taught me a few moves such as Double Team and Protect which he said would be useful for evading an opponent. Once during that battle, he had me use Protect to avoid a Thunderbolt from the Bidoof. Although I think he was taken aback for a moment there; after all, Thunderbolt isn't a move you'd associate with Pokemon like Bidoof.

* * *

In the end, Steven and I won the battle when the Bidoof couldn't dodge my Quick Attack. Afterwards, the girl walked up to him and congratulated him on how well he had trained me. She told him where she was heading, which just happened to be the same place Steven and I were going when we met her. "In that case, why don't we go together?" she suggested.

"OK," said Steven. "By the way, my name's Steven."

"I'm Petra," said the girl. With that, she and Steven shook hands, marking the beginning of a friendship which would last for many years. Or so we thought . . .

So Steven and Petra embarked on a Pokemon journey together, both of them determined to conquer all the Gyms and earn their place in the Pokemon League. At first, everything seemed to be going well; the two of them each managed to earn five Badges and looked set to complete the Gym circuit by the end of the year. After that, the next stop would be the local Pokemon League tournament and the chance to become Pokemon Masters. But, while we were on the way to the sixth Gym, Steven started feeling tired and ill. He tried to shrug it off and carry on, but, in the end, he collapsed in a Pokemon Centre and Nurse Joy had to rush him to hospital.

The diagnosis was the one everyone dreads: cancer. It meant Steven would have to take a break from his Pokemon journey in order to receive treatment. "Don't worry," he assured Petra and me. "I'll be back on the road in no time." But the treatment didn't work; despite everything the human doctor's did for Steven, his condition only deteriorated until we found ourselves faced with the inevitable.

I had never felt so helpless in my life. My trainer was dying and there was nothing I could do for him. Nothing, except wait for the end to come. I used to sit beside him, remembering how he had promised we would be together for years to come, remembering how we had planned to conquer the Pokemon League together. Now, that would never happen; Steven's dream of being a Pokemon Master would never be.

* * *

Petra and I were with Steven when he died and we, along with Steven's family, were now in the cemetery in his home town, saying a final farewell. I watched as the box containing Steven's body was lowered into the ground, feeling a deep sorrow for my lost trainer. It felt as though all the happiness had been sucked out of the world, as though the only thing left was the blackness of grief. I had no idea how I would live without Steven, the boy who had promised he would always be with me no matter what.

But what had happened to that promise? Why had fate so cruelly denied him the chance to keep it? Those were questions no-one could answer.

Tears welled up in my eyes and I began to cry for the friend and trainer I had lost, for future plans which would never come to fruition. Steven was dead and all that was left was a dark hollow, one that could never be filled. Nothing could ever replace him; the void he had left would always be there, an invisible space which Steven had once occupied.

Crying herself, Petra bent down and hugged me. I pressed my face against her and we stayed like that for a few minutes, a human girl and a Bug Type Pokemon united in sorrow.


	29. Happiness

****

Happiness

They say Christmas is a time of happiness, a time when we should feel especially close to those we love.

But, as I shivered in the alley, I felt none of that. I crouched there, aware of the celebrations the humans were holding but also of a bitter sense of rejection. It was snowing, the flakes settling on my brown fur until it looked as though I was covered with white powder. Cold white powder . . .

I shook myself; even with my thick fur, I could still feel the cold and it was not a pleasent feeling. If only I could evolve into a Glaceon, then I would be able to withstand the harsh bite of winter; as an Ice Type Pokemon, a Glaceon is adapted to the cold, so I wouldn't have to shiver in order to keep warm. But the fact that I hadn't evolved was the reason I was out in the snow in the first place.

I'd once been given to a boy to raise. This boy (I can't bring myself to mention his name, for reasons you will soon discover) promised he would always take care of me. And, for a while, he did - until he decided that I'd been an Eevee long enough, that it was time for me to evolve. And he wasn't even going to let me choose which of my seven potential evolutions I should become; he wanted me to become a Jolteon and, as far as he was concerned, I had to accept that whether I liked it or not.

It was a few days before Christmas when he decided to evolve me as an early present to himself. But he hadn't stopped to consider what _I_ might want, that I might want to evolve into something other than a Jolteon. When he produced the Thunder Stone, I immediately ran away. He chased after me, trying to bribe me with promises of glory if I would only agree to become a Jolteon. But he wasn't thinking about my happiness, only his own. Then, he tried threats and, when that didn't work either, he pointedly turned his back on me.

"Fine!" he snapped. "If you won't evolve into what I want you to evolve into, I don't want you any more!" With that, he walked away. I had been abandoned.

* * *

Abandoned at Christmas, surely the worst thing that can happen to any person or Pokemon. Well, aside from freezing to death in some lonely alley and that looked increasingly likely. I had tried to shake the snow off my fur, but I only ended up with a fresh coating each time. And it seemed that the humans were too busy going about their business to notice a little, shivering Eevee.

I remembered what it had been like last Christmas, before the boy decided to drag me off on a Pokemon journey. He was good to me then, even giving me a festive bow made of red velvet to wear round my neck, but now . . . The memory of how he had rejected me because I had refused to evolve as he wanted me to brought tears to my eyes. Did he even stop to think about my feelings? Oh, no - he just decided to evolve me into a Jolteon regardless of how I felt about it. Don't get me wrong; I don't have anything against Jolteons. But I didn't think being a Jolteon was what I wanted. In fact, I wasn't ready to evolve at all right now.

Hearing the distant sound of humans singing a Christmas carol, I crouched in a doorway, trying as best I could to get out of the cold. As I closed my eyes, I did not care if I ever opened them again.

* * *

A little later, I did open my eyes to find myself in a warm and cosy living room dominated by a huge Christmas tree. Its branches were laden with sparkly gold and silver tinsel, tiny little lights which glowed like a Ledian flock, glass balls in various colours . . . At the very top, there stood an ornament in the form of a silver Kirlia. It looked really pretty - I know that doesn't quite cover it, but it's the best I can do - and it made me feel happy. I gazed up at it in wonder, forgetting that, not long ago, I had been shivering in a doorway. But how did I get here?

I received my answer when the door opened and a young girl came in. She had long brown hair tied back in a pony-tail and her clothes consisted of black trousers and a red jumper. I also saw that there were two Pokemon with her; a Piplup was peering round her legs and she was carrying a Skitty in her arms. As she approached me, she let the Skitty get down and the little cat scampered over to me and began to sniff me.

"How did I get here?" I asked.

"Mollie found you and brought you in," the Skitty replied, nodding towards the girl.

"Mollie?"

"Yes, she's very nice." The Skitty then began to tell me all about how Mollie, which was evidently the girl's name, cared deeply for all Pokemon, so much so that she had started taking in abandoned Pokemon. Abandoned Pokemon like me, I realised, feeling a pang of gratitude that not all humans were like . . . the boy. Anyway, Mollie usually found new homes for the Pokemon she took in, but she had kept the Skitty and the Piplup.

"I think she might want to keep you as well," the Skitty added.

For a moment, I allowed myself to believe that I would know happiness again. But, then, a thought occurred to me. "And what happens if I won't evolve when she wants me to?" I asked, the fleeting happiness I had felt at the thought of finding a new home replaced by a terrible anxiety.

The Skitty shook her head. "Mollie would never force you to evolve if you didn't want to. She just wants us to be happy."

Happiness . . . I thought I was happy with the boy who abandoned me, but he wanted me to fit in with his plans and, when I didn't, he got rid of me. Would Mollie do the same in spite of what her Skitty said? I'd already been rejected by one human - could I stand it if the same thing happened a second time?

* * *

At length, the Piplup came to join us. "Please," he said, holding out his wing. "Give Mollie a chance; you'll like her."

"I . . . I don't know." I shook my head. I wanted to be happy again, but could I find happiness with a human after the way I had been thrown away by another human? "I mean, you and Skitty seem happy enough, but what if . . .?" I trailed off, unable to put into words my fears that any happiness I found with Mollie would be fleeting, that she would get rid of me if I didn't live up to her expectations.

"Just give it a try," the Piplup told me.

At that moment, I felt a hand stroking my back; I looked up and realised that it was Mollie's hand. Mollie was kneeling beside me, stroking my soft brown fur. Suddenly, I found myself wanting more, so I nuzzled her hand to tell her to keep stroking me. And, in that brief moment, I knew I could trust this girl, that she would not betray and reject me as the boy had done. I felt safe with her.

"Yes," I said to the Piplup. And, though Mollie only heard a squeak, she understood what I meant.

"I'm so glad, Eevee," she said. "I'm sure you'll be very happy with me."

* * *

A year has passed since then and Christmas is now approaching once more. I live with Mollie now, along with her other two Pokemon, though her Piplup has now evolved into Prinplup. But Skitty doesn't want to evolve just yet and, like I said before, Mollie will never force evolution on her. She says a Pokemon's happiness is more important than how strong it is or how well it battles.

As for me, I did find happiness with Mollie - and I've hardly given the boy a second thought this past year. Mollie is a very kind and caring person, so much so that you can't help but feel that you can trust. And, what's more, you know she would never do anything to betray that trust. Unlike a certain other human . . . But enough about him. The point I'm trying to make is that being around Mollie makes me feel happy. And, a few weeks ago, that happiness, that bond of affection between us, caused me to evolve into Espeon.

And, this year, I feel I am part of the Christmas celebrations. Unlike last year when I was a lonely outcast shivering in the cold. Mollie loves me and I, in return, love her. She took me in when I thought no-one cared about or wanted me and helped me find happiness again. And that happiness is what made me what I am today: a beautiful Espeon with soft purple fur. I don't think I could wish for anything else.

For happiness is one the greatest gifts anyone can give or receive.


	30. Under The Rain

****

Under The Rain

Rain . . .

For the past six days and nights, the forest had endured an almost continuous downpour which had forced many Pokemon to leave their nests and take refuge in the trees. Not all of them, though; I heard tell of a stubborn old Raticate who told the Staravia who tried to get her to evacuate: "I'm not leaving my nest for the sake of a bit of rain! I was hatched in this nest and I'll die in this nest!" Well, it looked as though we were getting more than "a bit of rain" and I hoped the Raticate had had enough sense to change her mind.

I peered out of the hole in the trunk of an oak tree that was my temporary home, staring at the endlessly driving rain. It seemed there was no let-up to this downpour, that it would carry on raining until the whole forest was flooded. "Nice weather," I said to myself, "if you're a Water Pokemon." I'd never known weather like it; not many Pokemon in the forest had, though an old Noctowl had once told me that, when he was a Hoothoot, he had seen it rain almost non-stop for eight days.

It hadn't been raining for quite that long this time, but it had been raining pretty much constantly. Only occasionally had there been a break in the weather, with the sun peeping tentatively out from behind the clouds. But, almost as soon as it appeared, the sun would be covered by clouds once more and the rain would start pouring down once more. It was as though the weather was trapped in a cycle of almost constant downpours.

* * *

"Is it still raining?"

I looked round at the sound of the voice. My mate was sitting on her bedding, the egg containing our first baby Pichu nestling against her. She'd laid that egg shortly before the current run of bad weather began and had been reluctant to leave it behind when we evacuated our old nest; luckily, a kindly Pidgeotto had offered to carry it in his talons. Now, it was due to hatch soon and, unless the weather cleared up sometime in the next couple of days, it looked as it though it would hatch halfway up a tree.

"'Fraid so," I told my mate, wishing I could tell her something different. We were both getting sick of this rain, pouring incessantly out of the sky and soaking everything that wasn't under some sort of shelter. Would it ever stop? Or would it carry on raining forever? All right, so that was a bit of an exageration; I knew full well it wasn't going to rain forever, but it certainly seemed like it right then.

I walked over to my mate and nuzzled against her, both of us allowing our cheeks to spark a little. When a Pikachu or a Raichu wants to show affection to its mate, it lets its cheeks spark, giving off a little charge of electricity. Not enough to deliver a shock, though; we keep that sort of thing for when we are battling another Pokemon. In any case, my mate and I showed affection by letting our cheeks spark, an act which often led to . . . But I knew my mate was too busy looking after the egg to be in the mood for _that_ right now.

Which was a pity in some ways, because it might have distracted us from the rain falling outside for a few minutes. Instead, I went to check on the pile of Berries we had carried up here as a food supply. Good - we still had quite a few left, though, if this rain kept up for much longer, I might soon be forced to brave the weather and go out to look for more. In the meantime, I picked out a Bluk Berry from the pile.

Bluk Berries are my mate's favourite; she especially likes them toasted. A Pikachu will sometimes toast Berries using the electricity from its cheek sacs. As far as I know, we are the only species of Electric Pokemon to cook our food in this way, though Fire Pokemon do occasionally use their flames to cook their food. Anyway, I picked out a Bluk Berry for my mate and a Nanab Berry for myself and carried them over to her in my mouth.

* * *

"I brought you something to eat," I said, putting both Berries down on the floor. "You want it toasted?" I added, nodding towards the Berry I'd picked out for her. As my mate nodded, I allowed a small amount of electricity to build up in my cheek sacs, then aimed it at the Bluk Berry, taking care not to overdo it because I knew from experience that my mate did not like overcooked Berries. Then again, who does like their food to be cooked so much that it becomes virtually inedible?

I prefer my Berries uncooked, so I did not give the Nanab Berry the same treatment. My mate and I sat there, eating our Berries and listening to the rain pattering outside. The rain had been going on for so long now that it was beginning to seem almost like background noise, though that didn't stop it from being annoying. Rain, constant rain . . . I was beginning to wonder if there was any other sort of weather in the world. The only small mercy I could see was that at least this rain hadn't been accompanied by any thunderstorms; if it had, our tree would be in danger of being hit by lightning.

Suddenly, my mate and I noticed something - the egg was beginning to glow. And, when a Pokemon egg glows, that's the first sign that it's about to hatch. Even though this was our first egg, we both knew what was happening, having both seen eggs hatch before. My mate got up and stood beside me, both of us watching as, barely visible under the glow enveloping it, the egg began to crack. We leaned forward expectantly . . .

Then, the glow disappeared and a beady-eyed Pichu sat looking up at us. Like us, it was yellow, a slightly paler shade than a Pikachu, and its cheek sacs were a reddish pink, instead of the bright red of its evolved form. Our first baby Pichu, I realised, feeling an overwhelming sense of protectiveness towards the little Pokemon. My mate and I smiled, causing the Pichu to smile back. And, though it was stilling raining heavily outside, it suddenly felt as though the sun was shining.

The Pichu turned out to be a male; my mate and I had a son. We spent the rest of the day getting to know him and gradually forgot about the rain falling outside.

* * *

I woke up the next morning to find the sun streaming in, something I hadn't experienced since before the downpour began. My mate was still sleeping and our Pichu was nestled against her as I went to the entrance and peered out. I'd done this every morning since the rain forced us up this tree to check on the weather, but the answer had always been the same: another day of constant rain.

But this morning was different. The trees were still wet from the rain, but no new rain was falling to add to the moisture on the already sodden leaves. Not only that, the grey rain clouds had gone and the sky was blue once more. And, on the branch directly opposite, I could see a Cherrim with her petals extended, a sure sign of better weather to come. There are Pokemon that change their appearance in response to the weather; a Cherrim, for example, opens its petals in sunny weather and closes them at night or when the weather becomes overcast.

"Hey!" I called across to her.

"Hey!" she called back. "The weather's certainly improved - I haven't been able to open my petals for days."

So the days and nights of living under the rain were finally over and the sun was shining once more. There had been times in the last few days when I had thought it was never going to stop raining, but now it had and it looked as though it was going to be a nice day. It felt as though the forest had been refreshed, washed clean by all the rain, and I could hardly wait to get outside after being cooped up for so long.

First, though, I went back inside to tell my mate and our new son the good news, that the rain had finally stopped.


	31. Flowers

****

Flowers

Floaroma Town is famous all over Sinnoh for its flowers. But that's hardly surprising when you consider that the place is positively carpetted with them; you can see flowers growing on every available piece of ground. As far as I know, there isn't another place like it in the world, so it's no surprise that it attracts a lot of Grass Pokemon trainers.

Trainers like Serena, the young woman who raised me from an Oddish. She loves Grass Pokemon, particularly those that resemble flowers, so it was almost inevitable that she would end up Floaroma Town eventually; the place seems to attract Grass Pokemon trainers in the same way that honey attracts Bug Pokemon. And it was also inevitable that she would end up evolving me into a Bellossom, a pretty Pokemon with red flowers on its head and an overwhelming fondness for dancing.

Nearly all Serena's Pokemon are Grass Types which either resemble flowers or have petals on them; as well as me, she has a Meganium, a Roserade, a Sunflora and a Cherrim. The only exception is her Eevee, which she plans to evolve into a Leafeon as soon as he's ready and she can find time to take him training in the Eterna Forest. Luckily, that's not all that far from here; trainers from other regions who want to evolve their Eevees into Leafeon have to travel to Sinnoh especially. Apparently, there's a special area in the Eterna Forest and any Eevee which trains there will evolve into Leafeon.

Anyway, we live in Floaroma Town, which is undoubtedly one of the prettiest towns in Sinnoh. And I'm not just saying that because I live here; I feel it to be true. And the best thing of all is that we have Floaroma Meadow, a pasture which is home to more wild flowers than you can count, right on our doorstep. It was here that Serena met a very special Pokemon trainer and I met his very special Pokemon.

* * *

Serena had taken us all to the Meadow for the day and we were having fun playing among the flowers. Roserade, Cherrim and I were dancing around and the rest of Serena's Pokemon were watching us. Serena, meanwhile, was drawing a picture of us in her sketchpad - she loves to draw us among the flowers - though she was currently having a little difficulty getting it right because we were moving around so much. Anyway, we'd gone to the Meadow and Serena was attempting to draw us as we played among the flowers growing there when someone approached us.

That someone was a male human and he had a Pokemon, a Treecko, with him. Seeing Serena, he walked up to her and spoke to her. "Hi," he said. "Are these your Pokemon?" He gestured towards my team-mates and myself; Cherrim, Roserade and I were still dancing and Sunflora had now joined us, while Eevee and Meganium were taking a nap among the flowers. But my attention was distracted by the rather handsome Treecko with the young man, which caused me to miss my step and go crashing into Cherrim. Luckily, she didn't seem to mind and, as we picked ourselves up, we listened to what Serena and the young man were saying.

"Yes, they are," replied Serena. "How many Pokemon do you have?"

"Just the Treecko. I'm not a Pokemon trainer as such - I don't have any Badges - but I do travel around a lot. And, since I was visiting relatives in Eterna City, I thought I'd take a side trip here."

"I was a Pokemon trainer when I was younger," Serena replied. "Then, I found Floaroma Town and liked it so much I decided to stay." She laughed lightly. "I guess it's because I like Grass Pokemon so much." That was certainly true; Floaroma Town seems to a positive magnet for Grass Pokemon and their trainers, who are drawn towards this flower-filled town. Of course, the fact that Eterna City with its Grass Pokemon Gym is fairly close by might also have something to do with it.

Anyway, Serena and the young man chatted for a bit, while his Treecko talked to us. Actually, he only really talked to me . . . He looked really handsome and I found myself wishing I could get to know him a bit better . . . But the human with him was only here for a visit, so wishing he could stay longer wasn't going to be much good. Besides, I couldn't see Jirachi, the Legendary wish-granting Pokemon, anywhere nearby.

* * *

But, sometimes, wishes come true even without the help of Jirachi or any other Pokemon. The young man seemed quite taken by Serena and they wound up arranging to meet again in town. "If you know a good place . . ." he said, looking at her expectantly.

She paused. "Well, there's a cafe in town I sometimes take my Pokemon to. How about it?" I knew which cafe she meant, one run by a woman who had originally come from Unova, a woman whose Lilligant helped to wait on tables. Like all the buildings in Floaroma Town, it's a pretty place with windowboxes full of flowers and its menus all have a floral design on their borders . . . Flowers can be found pretty much everywhere around here; there's a local saying that the only place where flowers don't grow is under the floorboards in people's houses.

Anyway, she and the young man arranged to meet at this cafe. But, before he left, the young man suddenly thought of something. "Wait! I just realised I don't know your name."

"It's Serena," replied Serena.

"I'm Chris. And I'll see you later."

* * *

The next day, Serena took us all to the cafe in question, where we met up with Chris and his Treecko. Serena and Chris took a table for two, one with a vase of pretty flowers in the middle . . . Of course, all the tables had vases of pretty flowers in the middle, but Serena said the flowers on this particular table were particularly pretty. She and Chris sat down opposite each other, as the owner's Lilligant came to take their order.

"White coffee, no sugar, and a slice of lemon cake for me," said Serena. "And my Pokemon will need feeding as well," she added, gesturing towards where we sat in the area set aside for customers' Pokemon. Many cafes and restaurants allow customers to bring their Pokemon in, provided they aren't too large or troublesome.

The Lilligant nodded, then turned to Chris. "Same again, please," he told her. "But I've only got the one Pokemon." And, as the Lilligant hurried off with the orders, he reached across the table and touched Serena's hand. For the rest of the time in the cafe, the two of them only had eyes for each other and seemed completely oblivious to anything else. I, meanwhile, took the opportunity to get to know Chris's Treecko, who, among other things, told me he never wanted to evolve.

I was pleased to hear this. I was already becoming attracted to the Treecko and, if he evolved, he would be too big to - you know what I mean - with me. As far as Iknow, Bellossom is the only Pokemon which is actually smaller than its pre-evolved form. Anyway, he told me he didn't want to evolve, but, since Chris wasn't a Pokemon trainer, that had never been an issue.

* * *

After that, Chris and Serena began seeing each other regularly, which meant I got to see more of Chris's Treecko. And, in time, Chris told Serena that he had decided to stop travelling and settle down. "I want to be with you," he said as they sat side-by-side among the flowers in Floaroma Meadow, the place where they had first met.

Serena looked at him. "I love you," she said, shifting her position so that she was right next to Chris, their bodies touching. As usual, I was sitting beside Treecko and, at the same moment, I moved closer to him. Chris's lips touched Serena's and Treecko's lips touched mine. Then, we began to kiss, two humans and two Grass Pokemon expressing their love among the flowers.

On that occasion, Serena and Chris didn't go any further than a kiss. But Treecko and myself . . . Well, that's a different story.


	32. Night

****

Night

There is nothing I love more than a dark, moonless night. For that is when I lie in wait for any unsuspecting Pokemon trainers who might wander too close to my home. I'm a Ghost Pokemon - a Misdreavus, to be precise - and my home is in the ruins of an old house which burned down many years ago when one of the servants dropped a candle. I should know; I was there. We Ghost Pokemon can live for hundreds of years.

I didn't actually belong to any of the humans who lived in the house; I just lived there alongside them, hiding in the attic during the day. At night, I would emerge and start playing tricks on the household - knocking books over, blowing out candles as soon as they had been lit . . . I played all kinds of tricks, but my favourite was making myself invisible and messing with the female servants' hair. Or I would wait until one of them entered a dark room, then use Screech to startle her. It's in the nature of Ghost Pokemon to enjoy playing tricks on humans, but we don't mean any harm; it's all a bit of fun. Too bad humans don't seem to appreciate our sense of humour.

In fact, the servant who dropped the candle did so because of me. The servant in question, a young girl named Rosie, was walking along one of the corridors but was unaware that I had sneaked up behind her. She was new and did not know there was a Misdreavus living in the attic, making her the perfect unsuspecting target. I floated up behind her and exhaled a breath of cold air - not as cold as the breath of a Froslass, but still enough to make you shiver - onto the back of her neck. She looked around, but I quickly made myself invisible and began shrieking horribly.

"Who . . . who's there?" Rosie cried, clearly terrified out of her wits. She spun round to take a look, just as I (still invisible) levitated a sword which had hung on the wall for years. We Ghost Pokemon are able to learn Psychic Type Attacks and, as such, we have a few basic Psychic abilities. Not as powerful as those of a Psychic Pokemon, but enough to allow us to do basic tricks like levitation.

Anyway, Rosie was terrified out of her wits when she saw a sword floating in the air. So terrified that she dropped her candle and started a fire . . .

* * *

Luckily, everyone in the household got out safely, but the house was never rebuilt and I started living in the ruins. At first, I missed the humans whose house I had secretly shared, in particular the looks of terror on their faces when I played tricks on them at night. But, then, I discovered a new target for my tricks - Pokemon trainers.

The house - or rather the ruins of the house - is not on any routes which lead directly to any major towns or cities. But, if you take a slight detour just before you get to the nearest town, you will find the gutted remains of an old mansion. Much of the top floor is completely gone, but the ground floor and the cellars are still fairly sound. The cellars are where I hide during the day. If trainers stumble across the house then, I don't bother them; it's not so much fun scaring people in daylight. But at night . . . That's when the fun really begins.

Like I said at the beginning, I love a dark and moonless night. If any Pokemon trainers venture near the house on such a night, I personally see to it that they don't get any rest. Oh, no - I'm a Ghost Pokemon and it's a point of honour for me to play tricks on unwary humans. And the sort of tricks Ghost Pokemon like to play work best at night, the darker the better. That's why I never show myself in the daylight; I know I won't be able to scare any humans if I do. They'd all just shrug and say: "Oh, it's only a Misdreavus." And what's the fun in trying to freak out people who already know what it is that's freaking them out?

No, any self-respecting Ghost Pokemon will tell you that, if you're going to scare humans, you've got to do it right. And that means waiting until night, a time when humans are easier to scare; I know that from many years of experience. So, if any Pokemon trainers are wandering around after dark and happen to stumble across the house, I quickly size them up to determine how easy it will be to scare them. If any of have Ghost Pokemon themselves, I don't bother them because I know they will be used to Ghost Types and their ways, so I won't be able to scare them. And, if they have a Hoothoot or a Noctowl, they'll be able to get it to use Foresight, unmasking me and removing another important weapon I have.

But, if none of the trainers have Ghost Pokemon or one of the owls, that's when the fun begins.

* * *

On nights when a likely group of trainers appears, I follow them to where they have set up their camp. This is rarely in the house itself, but somewhere nearby, though a few bold trainers do venture inside, looking for treasure probably. Not that they're going to find anything - besides, after a few of my tricks, I tend not to see them again.

I know what you're thinking. You're thinking that, if I go round scaring people all the time, I'm going to end up alone and friendless. Well, for your information, I do have friends, friends who are also Ghost Pokemon. There's a Haunter I see regularly, plus a colony of Duskulls which also inhabits the house, though they tend not to bother humans. Those and a few other Ghost Pokemon I know are my friends; I have no wish to befriend humans. My only interest in humans is as a target for the tricks I play on them at night.

Anyway, when I find the trainers' campsite, I hover around on its outskirts, waiting until they all go to sleep. Well, I say "all", but there is often a Pokemon left on guard and that could ruin my planned night of fun. Still, a quick Hypnosis generally takes care of that - unless the Pokemon has the Insomnia ability, then I give it a sample of my tricks as well. Though, since Pokemon with the Insomnia ability are mostly Ghost Pokemon themselves, this situation doesn't arise very often.

Once I've dealt with any Pokemon left on guard, I then start on the trainers. If any are still awake, I sneak up on them in the dark and start blowing on the backs of their necks, like I did with Rosie on the night of the fire. If they turn round to see who or what is doing it, I make myself invisible and, for a bit of extra effect, launch into a ghostly wail. This is the point where the trainers (especially if they're a bunch of young rookies) generally start to get spooked. And, if I keep up my tricks, they tend to high tail it out of here before anything else happens. I, meanwhile, am usually laughing uncontrollably by this stage.

* * *

Night is the ally of Ghost Pokemon; it provides us with cover if we plan to play any tricks on unwary humans. Not that we all go about it the same way; there are several different methods for scaring humans on a dark night. I tend to favour sneak attacks and making myself invisible to avoid detection. But there are Ghost Pokemon who'll leap out from behind bushes should anyone be passing during the hours of darkness, while others will surround a group of humans and use their powers to force them into embarassing positions. And, then, there are those who create illusions to lure humans travelling at night away from their intended path, by taking on a seemingly innocent form such as a lost human child. It's surprising how easy it is to trick humans sometimes.

Anyway, I love it when humans come along on a dark and moonless night; it means I can have fun scaring them. I don't mean any harm, though. It's all done purely for fun and I'd never try to scare anyone I thought couldn't take it. Even we Ghost Pokemon know better than to go round frightening everyone we encounter, so I tend to go after humans who I can sense will be able to cope with being given a bit of a scare.

And, at sunrise, I return to the cellars to wait for night to come round once more.


	33. Expectations

****

Expectations

Craig and I had been working towards this moment for many months, ever since he was a rookie Pokemon trainer just beginning his quest to conquer the Sinnoh League and I was a little Chimchar from Professor Rowan's laboratory. Now, after a long and arduous journey, we had done it. Aided by myself and his other Pokemon, Craig had earned eight Sinnoh League Badges and was now eligible to compete in this year's Lily of the Valley Conference.

So we had travelled to Lily of the Valley Island where those who had qualified for the tournament were assembled, ready to compete. I could sense a buzz of expectation in the air and, glancing at my team-mates, I could tell they sensed it too. Some Pokemon get really hyped up before a battle, like a Rapidash chomping at the bit to gallop off into the sunset. And the rest of Craig's Pokemon - as well as me, he had brought along his Nidoking, Huntail, Electivire, Scizor and Drapion - and I are all like that. I myself could hardly wait for the battling to begin and I found myself looking at the Pokemon belonging to the other trainers, trying to scope out the competition.

There was a girl who seemed to specialise in Water Pokemon; she had a Prinplup, a Golduck, a Starmie, a Ludicolo, a Vaporeon and a Floatzel. Not the sort of team I, a Fire Pokemon would want to face. I might have a better chance against the young man whose team included a Tropius and a Magnezone, both of which were of Types over which I have an advantage. Not far from him, I saw a woman who had a Pokemon which was also a Fire Type monkey, but it wasn't from my evolutionary line. However, I had encountered a Pokemon like it before in a battle against a boy from Unova, so I knew it was a Simisear. Just three of the many trainers assembled to compete to become the Sinnoh League Champion . . .

* * *

Of course, I had no way of knowing which trainer Craig would be up against first, or even if he would use me in that first battle. But I was well aware of the high expectations on any Pokemon that was preparing to battle at this level. It takes several months at least to train a Pokemon to a level where it is ready to compete in a League tournament, so I knew that the trainers present here today would have selected their six best Pokemon, with perhaps a few on standby in case they were needed.

I knew Craig had several Pokemon back at Professor Rowan's lab, some of which were also trained up enough for League battles. But he could only carry six at a time, so he had to choose which Pokemon to take and which to leave behind. As his starter Pokemon, I was virtually assured of a slot in Craig's team, but I knew he had two other Fire Pokemon (a Houndoom and a Camerupt) that were trained to a similar level of readiness. In the end, however, I was the one he chose and I was now awaiting the start of my first Pokemon League tournament.

Hopefully, it would be the first of many. During our travels, Craig and I met a man who was a veteran of several Pokemon Leagues, having started out from a place called Pallet Town in Kanto. This man - his name was Phil - had a Blastoise he had raised from a Squirtle, the Water Type Pokemon offered to trainers from Kanto when they begin their Pokemon journeys. I was still at the Chimchar stage then, so I was a little wary of being so close to such a powerful Water Pokemon, but the Blastoise soon put me at ease. And he told me a lot about what it was like to compete in a Pokemon League.

I can't remember most of what he said now, but one thing stood out above all others. He said that, no matter how often a Pokemon competes at League level, it never quite loses the sense of expectation as it prepares to do so. This is because no two Pokemon League tournaments are the same, even within the same region; there are always new opponents to compete against. Of course, I'd never competed in a League tournament before, so all of this was new to me. Perhaps that was why I could sense the air of expectation so keenly, or perhaps I was picking up the feelings of the other Pokemon nearby.

Pokemon, whether they are Psychic Types or not, can often sense things humans can't. And, when you get several of them together under such circumstances as a Pokemon League tournament, the air can become positively charged with anticipation. I knew, because of what I was feeling at the moment, that the other Pokemon present were also looking forward to the start of the tournament, whether they were League novices or had competed in tournaments before. I began to wonder which trainers Craig, his other Pokemon and I would have to face and what strategies those trainers would use. And that made me study the opposition even more closely, trying to figure out what tactics might be useful if I ever found myself in a battle against any of them. The nearest Pokemon to me was a Vileplume, which I could easily take out with a Fire Attack, though I knew from experience that I would need to watch out for moves such as Stun Spore or PoisonPowder.

* * *

Some might think the whole concept of the Pokemon League is a symbol of the human desire to use Pokemon for their own ends. In fact, there is rarely any element of coercion involved and any human who uses excessive force to make their Pokemon battle is automatically disqualified from all Pokemon League tournaments. No, I fought for Craig because we trusted each other. We had journeyed through Sinnoh together and, in the process, we had learned a great deal about each other.

So, in most cases, it's probably better to think of the relationship between trainer and Pokemon as a partnership. The trainer's job is to raise their Pokemon and that means taking responsibility for their welfare, not just making them fight all the time. Craig and I had come this far because we were able to work together, not because he saw his Pokemon as tools to help him win a major tournament. And, because you are dealing with living creatures, Pokemon training is more than just a sport. You can't just treat Pokemon like pieces of equipment; you remain responsible for them in and out of battle.

Anyway, by working with his Pokemon, Craig had trained several of them, including myself, to the point where they were ready to compete in a tournament. But that was only half the story; in order to qualify for this tournament, he had to collect eight Badges from Gyms in cities all over Sinnoh. He had faced the final Gym Leader, Volkner, only a few weeks ago and I could still remember the electrifying (no pun intended) battle I fought against Volkner's Raichu. And I had shared Craig's sense of triumph as he held the Beacon Badge aloft.

* * *

After winning the Beacon Badge, Craig had gone home to see his parents and train for the forthcoming tournament. Now, here we were, about to battle competitively for the first time - hopefully, the first of many. Of course, today was just for the opening ceremonies, where the qualifying trainers and one of their Pokemon would march into the stadium; the actual battles would not begin until tomorrow. But that, if anything, served to heighten the sense of expectation among the Pokemon present. Newcomers were keen to prove themselves, while those who had fought in previous Leagues were just as keen not to let some upstart rookie beat them.

Soon, it was time to enter the stadium. Trainers who had several of their Pokemon out called all but one of them back into their Poke Balls, while those who had kept their Pokemon in their Balls let one of them out. Then, we lined up at the entrance to the stadium - Craig and I ended up standing between a girl with a Shiftry and a man with a Hitmonchan - awaiting our cue to enter. And, if the air was full of expectation before . . . Well, words can't describe how it felt now.

Then, from inside the stadium, there came a shout of: "And here they are! The trainers and some of the Pokemon who have qualified for this year's Lily of the Valley conference!" That was the cue for the assembled trainers and Pokemon to march into the arena. Craig and I had several people and Pokemon in front of us, but, when our turn came, we held our heads up high and walked out to face the crowd of spectators.


	34. Stars

****

Stars

I gazed up at the night sky and its vast expanse of stars twinkling like diamonds on a backdrop of black velvet.

It was a cloudless night and the moon was full, just the sort of night I've loved since I was a Caterpie. Back then, I could only crawl along the ground, but I would often find myself looking up at night and wishing I could fly against that backdrop of stars. I knew I would be able to fly once I was fully evolved, but I was too impatient; I didn't want to wait. But, since I didn't have any limbs, I couldn't even flap my arms in the vain hope that this might get me airborne.

So all I could do was gaze wistfully at the stars, wishing that I could take to the sky and fly closer to those beautiful points of light. And that was how it remained until the night something happened to change my life.

* * *

It was another starry night and I was sitting on a tree stump, watching as a Venomoth colony flew through the air, guided by the light of the moon. As they flew, several of them released powder from their wings and sent it drifting downwards, sparkling like the stars I loved so much. I envied every Venomoth in that colony; not only could they fly like I longed to do, they had only had to evolve once to reach this stage. Before I could become a Butterfree, I would have to suffer the indignity of being a Metapod, immobile and unable to do anything except harden my shell.

But there was nothing I could do about it. If I wanted to become a Butterfree and fly in the night sky, I would have to go through the Metapod stage first. For the order in which a Pokemon with three stages in its evolutionary cycle goes through each stage never varies; you can't just skip the second stage and go straight into your fully evolved form. The best you can do is hold off from evolving for as long as possible so that you won't have to spend so long in your second stage. In any case, all I could do was hope that, when I became a Metapod, I would not be stuck in that form for too long.

As I sat there, gazing up at the stars and dreaming of being a Butterfree, I heard voices nearby. And that wasn't all; I recognised them as human voices, young human voices, though I couldn't quite make out what they were saying. Curious, I decided to crawl a little closer, so I did, not stopping to ask myself if it was a good idea or not. I'd heard about a kind of human called a "Pokemon trainer" who sometimes came to the forest and caught Pokemon in little balls. But I was sure these humans, even if they were "Pokemon trainers", wouldn't be interested in a measly Caterpie.

Soon, I saw the humans. There were two of them, a male and a female, sitting around a campfire and they had two Pokemon with them. The male had a Patrat sitting beside him and there was an Oddish clasped in the female's arms. Pokemon trainers, I realised; no wild Pokemon would allow humans to get this close to them. I'd never seen Pokemon trainers before and I found my curiosity piqued. I crawled even closer so I could hear what they were saying.

As I did so, the female human looked round and saw me. She exclaimed with delight about what a "cute" Caterpie I was and how she just had to catch me. But I didn't realised quite what that meant - until her Oddish jumped up and used Sleep Powder on me . . . The next thing I knew, I was dreaming that I had evolved into a Butterfree and was flying into the night sky in a bid to reach the stars I loved so much.

* * *

Just as I got within touching distance of a particularly bright star, I suddenly woke to find myself in an unfamiliar part of the forest, still a Caterpie. I felt a wave of disappointment, but I was also puzzled. How did I come to be here? However, I did not have to wonder long because I soon saw several other Pokemon, including the Oddish and the Patrat I had seen with the two humans. But what were they doing here?

Then, it dawned on me; the female human must have caught me. I remembered how the Oddish - her Oddish - had sprayed me with Sleep Powder. And, while I was sleeping, she must have caught me in one of those little balls I'd heard about and carried me to this place. Then, for some unknown reason, she must have let me out. But why? Did she want me to go home? And how could I find my way home from here when I didn't even know where "here" was?

I looked at the Oddish questioningly. "Oh, we're travelling with Shaun and Lisa," he told me. "Shaun and Lisa are our trainers," he added to clarify. He then went on to explain that he was Lisa's Pokemon, as were three of the other Pokemon I could see nearby; as he spoke, he nodded towards a Piplup, a Zigzagoon and a Mareep. The other Pokemon - Patrat, Geodude, Taillow and Ekans - belonged to Shaun. "And, since Lisa caught you, that means you're her Pokemon now," Oddish concluded.

"But why did she catch me?" I asked, realising that Lisa must be the name of the female human. I could see her and the male human, Shaun, sitting on the ground nearby, watching their Pokemon. These Pokemon seemed happy enough, but why had Lisa and Shaun "caught" them? For what purpose?

"Because she's a Pokemon trainer," Oddish replied. "It's her dream to compete in something called the Pokemon League . . ." He paused for several seconds, then added: "Don't you have a dream?"

"Yes," I said. And I told him all about how I would gaze up at the stars and dream of being a Butterfree so that I could fly among them.

"Well, stick with us and you'll be a Butterfree before you know it," Oddish told me.

* * *

Months had passed since then and Oddish was now a Vileplume. Most of the other Pokemon who travelled with Lisa and Shaun had also evolved, apart from Shaun's Patrat who said he didn't want to. He was happy to stay in his first evolutionary stage and Shaun, unlike some trainers I've heard of, was happy to let him.

As for me, I evolved for the first time after Lisa used me in a battle against another Caterpie, one belonging to a young boy she and Shaun met. I'd just knocked my opponent out with a Tackle when silk suddenly shot out of my mouth, enveloping me and hardening within seconds. I had become a Metapod, an immobile cocoon, and that would make it difficult for Lisa to use me in battle. While I was in this stage, I could do nothing but use Harden to increase my defence; consequently, I often found myself being put into battle, then withdrawn at the last second and replaced with one of Lisa's other Pokemon.

However, this "bait and switch" technique meant I still gained experience, even though I wasn't doing any battling. "Bait and switch" is a common method of training Pokemon that aren't much good when it come to fighting - Pokemon like Magikarp, for example . . . Anyway, it wasn't long before I evolved again, emerging from my shell as a beautiful Butterfree. Finally, I could do what I'd always longed to do: fly up into the night air and place myself against that wonderful backdrop of stars.

* * *

Recalling how I had felt the first time I did it, I flapped my wings and, seconds later, I was airborne, my wings shimmering in the moonlight. Then, with the jewel-like stars behind me, I launched into an impromptu display of aerial acrobats. It was the sort of night when it felt good to be alive.


	35. Hold My Hand

****

Hold My Hand

I looked across at my trainer's Lucario, thinking to myself how handsome he looked. Leo, as my trainer calls him, had just recently evolved from the Riolu who had been my constant playmate since I was a Gothita. And he had become a magnificent specimen; cliched as it sounds, the words tall, dark and handsome summed him up nicely.

I'm a Gothorita, but my trainer, Alice, calls me Mollie. In fact, all of Alice's Pokemon have nicknames; as well as Leo and myself, there's a Vulpix called Lily and a Politoed called Percy. My team-mates and I get along well enough, though we do have the occasional quarrel, but I've always been particularly close to Leo, though I'd only ever thought of him as a close friend.

Until now . . . As I looked at him, handsome and newly evolved, I found myself thinking about him in a way I never had while he was still a Riolu. I found myself wondering how it would feel to have him hold my hand, to hear him whisper that I was the only Pokemon for him, to kiss him by the light of a full moon, to . . . But that's probably a bit too much information. Anyway, I sat watching Leo and daydreaming about him; I knew he liked me, but did he like me in "that way"?

There was only one way to find out. I moved closer to him and slipped my hand into his paw, noting as I did so that he did not pull away. "Leo," I whispered, "do you like me?"

"What? Of course I like you," Leo replied. "In fact, I more than like you . . ." He leaned closer to me. "Mollie, I love you." And, with that, he bent down and kissed me.

* * *

That was as far as we went on that occasion. But, as time went on, the love between Leo and myself grew. At first, we did nothing more than sit together holding hands and occasionally kissing each other, but, while we camping in Lostlorn Forest with Alice and her other Pokemon one night, we decided we wanted to be alone for a while and slipped away from the main camp. And, underneath the forest canopy, we made love for the first time.

We returned to camp before Alice and her other Pokemon woke up, but the fact there was something "going on" between us was no secret. We'd been spending enough time together lately for that to be obvious. Anyway, Leo and I went off on our own the next night as well, and the next . . . This went on for several more nights and I began to look forward to the times spent alone with Leo. He always made me feel, for want of a better term, good inside, like he was the most wonderful Pokemon in the world.

Then, I began to notice changes in myself. Normally, a Gothorita has a slender build, but my belly was beginning to bulge slightly. Alice soon noticed this as well and, because I had been spending so much time with Leo, quickly began to suspect why. A quick trip to a Pokemon Centre confirmed it; I was going to lay an egg. And there was no doubt that Leo was the father because I'd never been as intimate with any other male Pokemon as I'd been with him. I decided I would have to tell him as soon as possible.

The Nurse Joy in charge of this Pokemon Centre told Alice I could lay my egg at any time in the next twenty-four hours. That meant we would have to stay here for the time being, but we would soon be on our way again. This time, however, Alice would be carrying a Gothita egg with her, the product of the love between myself and Leo. The thought gave me a wonderful feeling, one that's almost impossible to put into words, so I'll just say that I felt good.

* * *

I approaching Leo shyly. He was in the area where Pokemon could relax out of their Poke Balls, talking to a Gallade. "Leo," I said when he glanced up for a moment, "I need to talk to you - alone."

With a quick "Excuse me" to the Gallade, Leo followed me to a corner of the room where we were less likely to be overheard. There, I took Leo's hand in mine and looked up at him, staring into his handsome face, his dark eyes . . . In that moment, I thought he was the most handsome Lucario in the world. I thought for a moment about what I was going to say, then I just said it.

"Leo," I said, glancing down at my bulging belly, "I'm going to lay your egg."

He looked at me, trying to take it in. Don't forget, I'm a Psychic Pokemon, so I could sense what he was thinking. He thought it was wonderful news, but he couldn't quite believe it. And I can't say I blame him; I still found it hard to believe and I was the one nurturing this egg. Anyway, he held my hand a little firmer, a smile playing around his muzzle.

"You are? Oh, Mollie, that's wonderful!"

And, with that, he leaned in closer and, still holding hands, we kissed.

* * *

Just a few hours after that, I began to lay my egg. Alice was not in the room with me, but she was waiting outside and I could sense her pacing anxiously. Nurse Joy was in the room; she was there to watch my progress, but she would not intervene unless I got into difficulties. Usually, Pokemon lay their eggs without any trouble, but problems can sometimes arise, so having a Nurse Joy nearby reassured me as I strained to push the egg out.

Leo, the Lucario I had grown to love and the father of my offspring, sat beside me, holding my hand. We were connected and not just physically; Leo and I both know Psychic and this enabled us to form a mindlink. And, because of the way in which Pokemon pass their moves to their offspring, it also meant that the Gothita contained in this egg would hatch knowing Psychic. Normally, a Gothita will not learn that move naturally until it's at a much higher level, often not until after it evolves into Gothorita.

Anyway, Leo held my hand, encouraging me as I pushed. I loved him more than ever in that moment and found myself thinking about how we had gone from simply kissing and holding hands to the imminent arrival of our first offspring in a relatively short period . . . I could feel the egg beginning to emerge and tightened my grip on Leo's hand. "Leo!" I gasped. "It's coming!"

Still holding my hand, Leo whispered to me, telling me he could see the egg beginning to emerge. I strained once more and, moments later, a round egg slid out of me. The whole process had taken less than an hour, quite a contrast with the several hours it can take a human female to give birth. Not only that, they actually give birth to their babies, cutting out the egg stage altogether. Or, maybe, the egg hatches inside the mother . . .

I did not know, but all that mattered to me right now was my egg, the one Leo and I had made together. Like proud parents everywhere, we sat looking at the product of our love: an egg which, after Alice had carried it with her for a while, hatch into a Gothita. That's how Pokemon breeding works; the mother's evolutionary line determines which Pokemon will hatch from an egg. Unless you breed using a Ditto, but I'm not going to go into that . . .

In any case, Leo and I looked at each other, feeling an immense sense of pride. Then, as Nurse Joy went to tell Alice that I had laid my egg successfully, he took hold of my hand, giving it a light squeeze. "Mollie," he whispered, "I love you."


	36. Precious Treasure

****

Precious Treasure

There is a treasure that is more precious than anything. It's not gold, or diamonds, or anything else that humans might consider precious. In fact, it's not something you can touch with your hands (or paws) though you can feel it inside you. The treasure I'm talking about is something very special indeed; it's the love of a human or Pokemon for another being. It means you care about that person or Pokemon more than any other. However, its value cannot be expressed in concrete terms; it's not something on which you can place a price tag.

I have had such a treasure since I was a Buneary. My trainer's Typhlosion and I have been close from the day we first became team-mates; I'd just joined Maddy's team and I was feeling a little nervous around her other Pokemon. They all knew each other already, whereas I had until recently been a wild Buneary. I sat watching Maddy's Cyndaquil, Beautifly, Mareep, Hoppip and Pidgey playing together, trying to pluck up the courage to join them. They all looked so happy together, playing together and having a good time, but would I fit in with them?

Maddy, I should explain at this point, is my - our - trainer. When she first caught me, she had only just started out, so none her Pokemon had evolved apart from her Beautifly. From what I learned later, she was on something called a Pokemon journey, which basically involved her travelling around, catching Pokemon and training them to fight other Pokemon. Doesn't sound very pleasant, but Maddy's one of those trainers who care very deeply for their Pokemon; she says people who think Pokemon are just tools for winning battles are misguided and that they will never truly bond with their Pokemon if they think like that.

Anyway, I was sitting and watching Maddy's other Pokemon when her Cyndaquil suddenly got up and walked towards me. "Hey, Buneary," he said, holding out his paw. "Want to join us?"

"I - I don't know." I glanced at the other Pokemon, wondering once more if I would ever fit in here.

"Come on - just give it a chance."

In the end, I agreed and followed Cyndaquil over to the others. And, as it turned out, they were more than willing to let me join in with the game they were playing. Before long, I was laughing happily with Maddy's other Pokemon, forming a bond of friendship.

* * *

As time passed, I became close friends with Maddy's Pokemon. I was particularly close to Cyndaquil, the one who persuaded me to join in with the others. He was fearless in battle, while also being kind and caring out of it, and I always admired him. He, in return, became very fond of me and, when he evolved into Quilava after a battle against a young man and his Venipede, I was the first of Maddy's Pokemon to congratulate him.

It was around then that Quilava and I began to realise that our feelings for each other were growing deeper than mere friendship. Often, we would find ourselves unable to take our eyes off each other and I found that sitting next to him gave me a warm feeling that had nothing to do with the flames which erupted on his head and back. I was, I realised, falling in love with Quilava.

One day, we were relaxing out of our Poke Balls along with Maddy's other Pokemon. It was late afternoon and the sun was slowly sinking below the horizon, turning the sky a beautiful orangey-pink colour. It was such an enchanting sight that I found myself sighing softly as I gazed up at the sky. The next thing I knew, Quilava was beside me, also looking at the setting sun.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" I said.

"I know something even more beautiful," Quilava told me.

"Really? What's that?"

"You." And, with that, Quilava bent down towards me until our lips touched. My first kiss . . .

* * *

Quilava and I continued our travels with Maddy and the rest of her Pokemon, journeying from place to place and battling many Pokemon. During this time our love grew stronger, so much so that it eventually caused me to evolve into Lopunny. Normally, it is the bond with the trainer that triggers evolution in Pokemon which evolve through friendship, but, in my case, it was my bond with another Pokemon.

And, if I had any worries about whether Quilava would still love me now that I had evolved, he soon put them to rest. We spent that night, my first as a Lopunny, in a Pokemon Centre and, while I was sitting on the bed which Maddy had been allocated, Quilava came to sit beside me. Slipping his paw around me, he told me I was more beautiful than ever. Then, we kissed, though I found it a little strange having to bend down in order to kiss him. "I'll never get used to this," I told him.

"Get used to what?"

"Bending down to you - you've always been bigger than me." At least he had been since he'd evolved into Quilava; when he was a Cyndaquil and I was a Buneary, we were roughly the same size, but we weren't in love with each other then.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that too much," Quilava said with a slight laugh. "I think I'll be evolving myself soon."

I thought about that, a dreamy look crossing my face for a moment. When Quilava evolved, he would be a Typhlosion, a powerful Fire Pokemon with flames erupting out of the back of his neck like a ruff of fire. I had known him since we were both in our first evolutionary stages, had seen our relationship grow from friendship to love. And, now, it seemed that we would be fully evolved Pokemon together. I bent to kiss him once more, imagining as I did so what it would be like to kiss a Typhlosion.

* * *

Two days later, my team-mates and I were resting out of our Poke Balls by a lake when a trainer approached Maddy and challenged her to a battle. The trainer, a young woman with red hair tied back in a pony tail, sent out a Mienfoo and Maddy immediately countered with Quilava. Pidgeot, who had evolved from the Pidgey Maddy had when she first caught me, would have been a more obvious choice, but he had recently picked up an injury in a battle against a Ninetales and Maddy had been advised not to use him in battle for a while. So she used Quilava instead.

I watched as Quilava and the Mienfoo squared off. In response to their trainers' commands, they launched Attack after Attack at each other, the Mienfoo using its (I was unsure of its gender) Fighting moves, while Quilava countered by dodging and using his Fire Attacks from a distance. For several turns, the battle wavered back and forth . . .

Then, the Mienfoo got Quilava with Aerial Ace, knocking him to the ground. He struggled to get up and, for several awful seconds, it looked as though he had been defeated. But, then, I found myself yelling: "You can do it, Quilava! I believe in you!" Of course, Maddy and the Mienfoo's trainer just heard me shouting: "Lopunny!" over and over, but, as we watched, Quilava staggered to his feet and adopted a fighting stance. Then, at a command from Maddy, he launched into a Flamethrower. The Mienfoo was hit by searing hot flames and fell to the ground; it did not get up.

The Mienfoo's trainer recalled her fainted Pokemon and walked away, congratulating Maddy for a good battle. At the same time, Maddy turned to congratulate Quilava, just as he was surrounded by a white light. And anyone who's ever had any dealings with Pokemon will know what that light meant . . . When it faded, Quilava was gone and a powerful Typhlosion stood in his place.

I ran over to Typhlosion and congratulated him - with a kiss.

* * *

That night, Typhlosion and I sat together as usual, our first night as fully evolved Pokemon. Typhlosion slipped his arm round my shoulder and began to stroke my long ears. "Lopunny," he whispered, "I love you." And we kissed, but it seemed more intense than it had before, so much so that we never wanted to stop. Before long, we were . . . But this isn't that kind of story, so I'll just say that, for a few wonderful moments, we were closer than we had ever been.

Love, then, is a precious treasure, a treasure worth more than all the gold and jewels in the world. The feelings Typhlosion and I have for each other cannot easily be put into words, but we know there is something special between us, something which is beyond value.


	37. Eyes

****

Eyes

I flew through the night sky, my eyes constantly on the lookout for anything untoward. So far, I had seen nothing which warranted attention, but I remained alert, knowing the next case could be just around the next corner. You never know when Team Rocket or some other criminal organisation might decide to try something, but they like to operate under the cover of darkness. So having a Pokemon which can see in the dark can come in handy if you're in the crime-fighting business.

As a Noctowl, I can see in even the dimmest light, though not in total darkness. That's a common misconception about my kind and about cat Pokemon such as Meowth or Purrloin. Our eyes may be adapted to seeing in low light levels, but we still require _some_ light. Without it, our eyes are just as useless as those of a human and most other Pokemon species would be under the same conditions. I've heard that certain species of Dark and Ghost Pokemon can see in total darkness, but it's just a rumour and I've never been one for believing in rumours.

Anyway, I flew through the skies over Pewter City on my nightly patrol. I'm a specially trained police Pokemon, which means it's my job to help the human police to track criminals. With my ability to see in dim light, not to mention the fact that I know Foresight, I'm often used for surveillance. Night after night, I patrol the skies, looking for anything suspicious; if I see anything, I've been trained to fly back to my trainer and lead him and his colleagues to the relevant spot. And, if you're thinking the crooks will be long gone by the time I've done that, ask yourself this: would you suspect anything if you saw a Noctowl flying around at night? As long as I'm careful not to attract too much attention, there's a strong possibility that the people I'm after won't realise the police are closing in.

My trainer is a young officer called Brendan, who raised me from a Hoothoot. When he was a boy, he went on a Pokemon journey like many kids do, taking me along with him. At first, he didn't think of much beyond his next Badge, but, one day, we helped an Officer Jenny (I forget which one) to thwart one of Team Rocket's plans. After that, Brendan decided he wanted to join the police when he grew up.

* * *

Now, Brendan is known as Officer Brendan of Pewter City and I'm a fully trained police surveillance Noctowl. It's quite a contrast with how it was before, when Brendan was a travelling Pokemon trainer, but, while many trainers start off with the goal of becoming Pokemon Masters, very few actually achieve this. Others ultimately find themselves drawn towards another career, which may or may not involve working with Pokemon directly.

In any case, I was flying over Pewter City, my eyes constantly on the alert for any signs of criminal activity. Suddenly, I saw something; two figures were skulking in a dark alley behind a local tavern called The Murkrow's Nest, one of the most notorious dives in Pewter City. There was something shady about them - they didn't look like they wanted to be spotted - so I flew down to take a closer look. As I did so, I heard what they were saying.

"Did you get it?" one of them, a short man with a gravelly voice asked.

"Like taking candy from an Igglybuff," replied the second shadowy figure. This was another man, younger than the one with the gravelly voice. However, they were both wearing black trenchcoats and wide-brimmed hats of the sort which make their wearers look conspicuously furtive. I suspected they were both sporting shirts with red Rs under their coats, but I refrained from using Foresight to find out and concentrated on what they were saying and doing. Then, as I watched, the younger guy reached into his coat and pulled something out - a Poke Ball. "Giovanni should get a good price for this," he added.

"Yeah, you don't see an Audino in these parts very often."

* * *

I had heard and seen enough. I'd suspected that these two were part of Team Rocket and the mention of the name Giovanni confirmed it. Giovanni is the Boss of Team Rocket, the head of the most notorious criminal organisation in Kanto and Johto; as such, he is on the Most Wanted list in both regions. Unfortunately, the police have not had much luck in tracking him down, though they have succeeded in taking a number of his underlings off the streets. And, now, I had to go and alert Brendan so that two more Rockets could be put where they belonged - behind bars.

I flew off, keeping my eyes peeled for Brendan's patrol car. Before long, I saw it parked just outside the Pokemon Centre; Brendan was sitting inside it with one of the other Officers, a brown-haired man called Eric. I had to let Brendan know about the Rockets. I flew down until I was level with the car and peered into the window.

Brendan, seeing me, wound the window down. "What is it, Noctowl?" he asked. "Did you see something?"

I nodded, using my wing to point in the direction of The Murkrow's Nest. Brendan immediately understood what I was trying to say; it had long been suspected that place was being used as a hideout by a number of Rockets; it was certainly seedy enough to attract that sort of clientele. And, thanks to the way my eyes were adapted to see in even the dimmest light, it looked like the police were soon going to have the proof they needed to bust that particular Rocket den. Always assuming the Rockets I had seen didn't escape . . .

I flew off in the direction I had indicated, keeping low so that Brendan and Eric could keep track of me. As we drew nearer The Murkrow's Nest, I scanned the area, searching for the Rockets I had seen earlier. Then, I saw them standing right outside the door - good, they clearly didn't realise the police were onto them. Flying lower, I alerted Brendan, who stopped the car so that he and Eric could continue on foot. I stayed out of my Poke Ball, accompanying the two cops as they walked towards the unsuspecting Rockets.

* * *

"Crap!" the younger Rocket cursed when he saw the two Officers approaching. "It's the cops!" Talk about stating the obvious . . .

"We'll teach them to mess with us," said the gravelly voiced Rocket, as he and his partner whipped off their trenchcoats to reveal the Team Rocket uniforms underneath. Moving as one, they pulled out their Poke Balls and threw them, revealing the Pokemon within; the one with the gravelly voice had a Zubat and a Quilava, while his companion had a Gulpin, a Houndour and a Weepinbell. Then, they commanded them to attack, but Brendan and Eric were ready for this - well, they were members of the police. Brendan called me over, then, he and Eric pulled out their police-issue Poke Balls, each of which contained a Growlithe.

The battle was on. Brendan and Eric commanded their respective Growlithes to attack with moves like Flamethrower and Bite, while I attacked from the air with my beak and talons. Of course, the Rockets fought back, but they were up against Pokemon that had received special police training. As a result, it didn't take long for Brendan and Eric to gain the upper hand. Then, the gravelly voiced Rocket gave the following command:

"Quilava, Smokescreen!"

And his Quilava opened its mouth and exhaled a cloud of smoke, which cloaked the Rockets and their Pokemon, obscuring them from view. But not from _my_ view; Brendan immediately countered by having me use Foresight to see through the smoke. I then flew at the Quilava and knocked it flying, as the two Growlithes followed me into the cloud, using their sense of smell to pick out their quarry. Within moments, the Rockets' Pokemon had all been defeated and the Rockets themselves were under arrest. A quick search of the gravelly voiced Rocket's discarded trenchcoat revealed a Poke Ball in one of the pockets, a Poke Ball containing the stolen Audino.

"H - how did that get there?" he stammered, feigning ignorance. But Brendan and Eric were not fooled.

"I'm sure you'll think of an explanation by the time we get to the station," he said, as he and Eric bundled the Rockets into the back of the car. Once at the station, the Rockets would be taken to a holding cell and work would begin on tracking down the Audino's rightful owner. Then, Brendan turned to me. "Great job, Noctowl - you've got the best eyes in Pewter City."


	38. Abandoned

****

Abandoned

"Get up and fight, you useless Sandile!"

I heard Carl's impatient voice command me to attack, but, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't summon the energy. My opponent, a Raichu, stood in front of his trainer, waiting for my next move. But it didn't look like it was coming any time soon; I'd taken too much of a beating already. Unfortunately, Carl was not the sort to admit defeat, especially in a battle where he should have had the advantage.

"Come on!" he shouted. "That's an Electric Type - finish it off with Bulldoze!"

I wanted to obey, but I was just too exhausted from battling the Raichu. It's true that I should have had the edge in this battle - as a Ground Type, I am naturally immune to Electric Attacks - but this particular Raichu also had a couple of Fighting moves in its repetoire. And, since I am partly a Dark Type Pokemon, this was bad news for me. Add to that the fact that it had also learned Agility (doubtless when it was still a Pikachu) and it was able to compensate for the disadvantage it should have had against me pretty well. I'd been on the receiving end of several Focus Punches and Brick Breaks in this battle and I was exhausted. So, when Carl commanded me to attack, I could do nothing but sink to the ground, my right forelimb raised in a gesture of surrender.

The judge looked down at me for a moment, then announced his decision. "Sandile is unable to battle! The winner is Raichu!"

The expression on Carl's face as he called me back into my Poke Ball could best be compared to a thundercloud.

* * *

Carl took me straight to the Pokemon Centre to have me healed. I hoped he would forgive me for the defeat - after all, there was no way he could have known the Raichu's trainer had taught it Fighting moves - but Carl did not forgive easily. As we were leaving the Centre, he turned to me with the same angry expression on his face. "I don't know why I bother with you," he told me. "You're about as much use as a Charmander in an aquarium!"

I tried to tell him it wasn't my fault I had lost, but he didn't (or wouldn't) understand. "That was an Electric Pokemon you were fighting! You had the advantage, so why the hell didn't you take it?" He looked at me with utter disdain, as if I was a bad smell left behind by a Grimer or a Trubbish . . . one of the smellier Pokemon anyway. "You know what?" he went on. "I'm through with you! Goodbye!"

And, with that, he turned his back on me and walked away. I tried to run after him, but, before I could get close, he pulled out a Poke Ball and opened it to reveal his Pidgeot. He mounted the bird's back and they soared up into the sky and out of sight.

I had been abandoned, just because I had lost a battle. Carl had always been a tough trainer, expecting nothing but the best from his Pokemon, but I'd never expected him to do anything like this.

* * *

I don't know how long I stood outside the Pokemon Centre, hoping against hope that Carl would change his mind and come back for me. I remembered the day he showed me the picture of a Krookodile, my most advanced form, in his Pokedex. "See this?" he asked me. "That's what you'll look like once you've been trained up a bit and won a few battles. Pretty cool, huh?"

And that was the trouble with Carl. He became so focused on getting me to evolve that he didn't stop to consider my welfare and began pushing me far too hard. Many times, I'd been forced to battle opponents I hardly had a hope of defeating, because Carl insisted that the only way I would get strong enough to evolve was to battle lots of tough opponents. Of course, this approach only resulted in repeated trips to the Pokemon Centre. And, as time passed and I got no nearer to evolving into Krokorok, never mind Krookodile, he began to lose patience with me.

Now, because I had failed him once too often, he had ditched me. He had cast me aside like a piece of rubbish. I thought we would always be together, but I was wrong - very wrong. His only interest was in winning and I kept letting him down, but he'd always given me another chance before. However, this time was different; he'd left me and, though I still held a faint hope that he might reconsider, that hope was fading fast.

I wondered what was going to become of me now. Would I have to return to the life of a wild Sandile? What happened to Pokemon who'd been dumped by their trainers? These questions and more circulated through my mind. I still gazed in the direction Carl had flown with his Pidgeot, but there seemed to be as much chance of him coming back for me as there was of a Magikarp defeating Zapdos.

Then, as I stood there, it began to rain heavily. And, like all Ground Type Pokemon, I hate getting wet; that's one of the reasons so many of us live in the desert. I went into an alley and pressed myself against the wall in a vain attempt to keep dry, shivering as the rain splashed on my skin.

* * *

Suddenly, I felt myself being picked up and carried into the Pokemon Centre. The hands holding me were human hands, but I knew it wasn't Carl; they were softer and gentler. I had no idea who had picked me up and I was too cold to care. I'd been out in the rain for some time and anyone who knows anything about Ground Type Pokemon knows we don't like getting water on our skin. We'll take the occasional drink of water (though many of us can go days without drinking) but we can't stand getting wet. Even when it comes to keeping clean, we prefer a good dust bath.

Anyway, I was carried into the Pokemon Centre and placed on the counter, where I found myself looking into the kindly eyes of Nurse Joy. Then, I heard my rescuer talking and looked around to see a young girl with brown hair and grey eyes. She was telling Nurse Joy about how she had found me in the alley and, thinking I must have been lost or abandoned, brought me into the Centre.

"Yes, there was a boy with a Sandile in here earlier," Nurse Joy said. "I didn't like the look of him; he seemed like the sort who see Pokemon as tools." That described Carl to a T, so focused on winning battles that he gave little, if any, consideration to his Pokemon's welfare.

"Do you think this is the same Sandile?"

"If it is, that boy must have abandoned it." Nurse Joy shook her head and sighed. "I don't know what this world's coming to. I just wish certain people would learn that they can't just throw Pokemon away."

"What's going to happen to it now?" was the girl's next question. She reached out and patted my head, a gesture of affection I'd never received from Carl.

"I'll keep it here for a few days, then . . . I guess it'll have to go to the Abandoned Pokemon Shelter."

Then, the girl asked a question I wasn't expecting to hear. "Do you think I could keep it?"

Nurse Joy nodded. "I don't see why not; I doubt its trainer will be coming to collect it any time soon, not if its trainer is who I think it is." A frown crossed her face for a moment. "Abandoning Pokemon is terrible. You can be sure I'll be keeping my eyes out for that boy in future and, if he does it again, the Pokemon League Authorities will hear about it!"

* * *

A few days later, I found myself installed at the girl's home.

I learned that her name was Nina and she and her parents took in Pokemon who, like me, had been abandoned. Most were later adopted by caring trainers, after the trainers had been vetted to ensure they weren't likely to dump the Pokemon later on; being abandoned once is bad enough. But Nina and her parents kept a few as their personal Pokemon and I soon found myself getting acquainted with the rest of Nina's Pokemon: a Buizel, a Flaaffy and a Glameow.

I've been with Nina for a while now and my life is much better than it was when Carl was my trainer. Nina doesn't care if we win or lose a battle, just as long as we do our best, and she doesn't care if we evolve or not. Both of these mean I'm not put under so much pressure and I'm not being scolded and insulted every time I can't defeat an opponent. Nina, unlike Carl, knows not to push her Pokemon too hard.

Best of all, I know I'll never have to go through the ordeal of being abandoned again.


	39. Dreams

****

Dreams

What sort of things do you dream about?

Actually, you don't have to tell me because I have a means of finding out for myself. All I have to do is wait until you're asleep, then stand by your bed and use my Dream Eater ability to absorb your dreams. Don't worry, though; all it does is copy information about what you're dreaming into my mind. Kind of like transfering data from one computer to another . . . When Pokemon use Dream Eater in battle, they absorb the opponent's life force at the same time, but I've been trained to use Dream Eater without stealing energy.

I'm a Drowzee, a Psychic Type Pokemon with a yellow head and torso and brown legs. I live with Professor Hill at the Morpheus Institute, a huge laboratory researching the effects of sleep-related Pokemon moves. The place was set up following an incident where several human children were affected by the hypnotic brain waves emitted by a Hypno (my evolved form for those of who haven't checked your Pokedexes lately) and started acting like Pokemon. After that had been resolved, they set up this place to research moves like Hypnosis and the effects they have on the brain. In short, this is a place where Pokemon used sleep-related moves under controlled conditions and the brain activity of the target is monitored.

Lately, however, Professor Hill has developed an interest in dreams, in particular whether if would be possible to record them somehow. To that end, he adapted a device which records the brain waves of a Psychic Pokemon, then got me to use Dream Eater while plugged into it. First, however, he had to find a way of overcoming the fact that Dream Eater absorbs energy from the target, useful in battle but an unwanted side-effect in our case. I'd tell you what he did, but he says that's top secret until he's finished his research.

* * *

Whenever a test subject comes into the laboratory, they spend the night in a room specially set up for the experiment. It looks just like an ordinary bedroom, but with one difference; there is a special computer on the table beside the bed. This computer has several wires attached to it, wires which are also connected to a helmet. The helmet is something I have to wear as part of the project, since it's the part of the computer which records the Pokemon's brain waves. Except, as I already mentioned, Professor Hill has adapted it to record dreams.

Anyway, I am wired to the computer and, then, I have to wait until the test subject starts dreaming. When they do - I can tell because of my Psychic abilities - I use Dream Eater to absorb the contents of their dream and attempt to project it onto the computer monitor. Sometimes it works, but not always. And it's not always clear when it does work. Dream Eater is a strange move, one which is hard to describe to those who can't use it. You don't actually _see_ the dreams you've "eaten"; it's more a case of sensing what they are about. And that's basically how I project the dreams of our subjects, by absorbing information about their content and using that information to create an image.

Do the dreams absorbed via Dream Eater taste of anything? In a way, they do. Or, rather, they give you a sensation akin to taste. For example, I've found that a dream which I sense is particularly pleasent for the dreamer "tastes" of Bluk Berries lightly sprinkled with sugar, whereas an unpleasent dream "tastes" of boiled cabbage. At least that's how it is for me, but I suspect other Pokemon would "taste" different things based on their own likes and dislikes.

In any case, it's my job to project an image of what the test subject is dreaming about and Professor Hill has to record it. If it works - and, like I said before, it isn't always successful - he spends the next day examining the data from the dream. I won't bore you with details, but I will tell you that, if the same subject takes part in more than one trial, a pattern may begin to emerge in their dreams. For example, a particular theme may be noticed across several dreams.

Anyway, after spending the night in the laboratory, each subject is debriefed and shown footage of their dream. But this is only done with their consent and Professor Hill is always careful to warn them if there are any potentially disturbing scenes.

* * *

What exactly does Professor Hill hope to achieve by recording people's dreams?

To be honest, I don't know. And, though I could use my Psychic powers to read his mind and find out that way, I choose not to. I generally put it down to human curiosity, a desire to see what will happen if . . . But, whatever the reason, he says he has to be careful the data he's collecting doesn't get into the wrong hands. After all, there are organisations out there (such as Teams Rocket and Plasma) who would do anything to get their hands on it. And they would then use it for their own neferious purposes.

Because of this, security in the laboratory is tight. All staff have to carry passes at all times and all visitors have to go through an x-ray machine to make sure they aren't trying to smuggle anything in. It is, for obvious reasons, strictly forbidden for anyone not employed by the Morpheus Institute to take photographs of the laboratory, though those who do work here may take pictures, provided they don't photograph any sensitive equipment. This includes the computer to which I am wired during the Dream Eater experiments.

And, if you think I'm breaking confidentiality rules here, I'm not. I haven't given specific details of Professor Hill's research, just a brief outline of his project and what it involves. Anything more than that will have to wait until he publishes a paper detailing his findings. As for explaining how Dream Eater works, any other Pokemon who knows that move will tell you basically the same thing I told you. Besides, like I said, it's not easy to describe that move in ways those who can't use it can understand. All I can do is tell you that it allows me to absorb the dreams of a sleeping person or Pokemon. Nor have I given details of any specific dreams that I have absorbed.

* * *

There are, of course, other Pokemon that can learn Dream Eater. One such Pokemon is Musharna, who expels the dreams it absorbs in a pink mist which emerges from its forehead. However, though it is possible to see the dreams contained in this mist, there is no way to record them. And the aim of Professor Hill's project is to record the content of people's dreams. That's why he adapted the brain-wave recorder and that's why he decided to use me, a Drowzee, to absorb the dreams of our test subjects.

How do I feel about being part of Professor Hill's project? To be honest, I've never really thought about it, but he does treat me with respect, unlike some scientists who see Pokemon and humans as mere tools to help them with their research. But people like that tend to be involved with the Rockets and other such organisations - and no-one at the Morpheus Project wants anything to do with the likes of them. They would take the research being done here and twist to suit their own ends, turning the dreams of the people who founded this place into a nightmare.

For dreams are powerful things; I know that from having used Dream Eater so many times. And, if you're wondering what happens if my mind gets overloaded with people's dreams, as sometimes happens even with Professor Hill's recording device, I can release the energy absorbed in a quick battle. Yes, a battle; the Pokemon here aren't just pieces of laboratory equipment and we do get to do things other than help the scientists with their research.

Do I have dreams? To put it in its simplest terms, I do - all advanced life-forms dream to some extent, even if no-one has been able to explain exactly why this is. Humans have a whole load of theories on the matter, but no-one knows the answer and I doubt anyone ever will. Not that it matters in our case - that's not what Professor Hill's project is all about.

Sorry, I've been rambling for far too long, so I'll end by saying two words - pleasent dreams.


	40. Rated

**Rated**

I flexed my muscles as I stood posing for the crowd of onlookers assembled on the beach, their cheers echoing in my ears. Every year, the people of Kumquat Island hold a contest to determine the coolest Water Pokemon on the island; the winner gets to do all sorts of great stuff like appearing on TV. And, if I could impress the judges, I might be the Pokemon that was chosen this year, the Pokemon that would become the "Face of Kumquat Island". First, though, I would have to be rated for poise, strength and general coolness, not that this was like those Pokemon Contests they have in other regions.

I'm a Golduck and I live with my trainer, Simon, on Kumquat Island, one of the Orange Islands which lie to the south of Kanto. It's absolutely beautiful here, warm and sunny most of the year, the sea a brilliant blue. And, of course, the Islands are a magnet for tourists who come here from all over the world. Each of them has something different to offer; Kumquat Island, for example, is a mecca for Water Pokemon trainers, who come here from as far afield as Unova. I remember the first time I saw a Unova region Pokemon, a Samurott swimming out to sea with its trainer. I was still a Psyduck at the time, rather clumsy and prone to headaches, and I couldn't help but admire the power and agility the Samurott displayed as it swam in the water.

Anyway, to promote the island's tourist industry, they hold Water Pokemon contests every year. These contests are only open to Water Pokemon belonging to people who live on Kumquat, but any qualifying Pokemon may be entered. It doesn't matter what species it is; if it's a Water Pokemon and it belongs to someone who lives on Kumquat Island, it's eligible to enter the contest. In practice, however, most trainers enter Pokemon they think stand a decent chance of being rated highly by the judges. Last year, the winner was a Gyarados and the year before that it was a Kingdra.

* * *

Until just a few months ago, I was still a Psyduck, clumsy and prone to headaches which, whenever they became particularly intense, caused me to exhibit amazing Psychic powers. But I had no control over them and did not remember using my powers afterwards; I only know about it because Simon told me. In any case, Psyducks are generally regarded as something of a joke, so Simon had not entered me in the contest in previous years. After all, what chance would a Psyduck have against all the strong Water Pokemon people were entering?

Now, however, I had evolved into a Golduck. It happened right after Simon and I defeated a trainer with a Magmar who'd made the mistake of assuming that he could easily defeat a clumsy Pokemon like a Psyduck, even with a Type disadvantage. Clearly, however, he had not been warned about what happens when a Psyduck's headache peaks. Anyway, during this battle, the Magmar knocked me flying with Iron Tail and I collided, head first, with a tree. According to Simon, my eyes then began to glow and I used Disable to paralyse the Magmar so that it couldn't battle any more.

The next thing I remember is staring down at the paralysed Magmar, doubtless with a vacant expression on my face, when I suddenly felt myself begin to change. I was growing taller and more powerful, changing from a plump yellow duck to a blue creature which looked like a cross between a duck and an amphibian. I was a Golduck and, I soon learned, there were some major differences between that and being a Psyduck.

For one thing, I was no longer prone to headaches. Nor did Simon have to wait for my headache to peak before I could use Psychic Attacks; I could now use those Attacks at any time. And my Water Attacks grew stronger too, strong enough for Simon to actually consider entering me in the contest. Weeks of intense training had followed, as Simon tried to make sure I was in peak condition and, now, here I was lining up on the beach with the other contestants, waiting for the judges to rate me.

I glanced at the Pokemon on either side of me. On my left, a Feraligatr stood in an "I'm going to win this thing" pose, the expression on his face daring anyone to argue with that. The Pokemon on my right was a beautiful Vaporeon, one I had known since she was an Eevee; she belonged to Simon's best friend, Carla. Carla had not evolved her with a view to having a Vaporeon to entered in the contest; instead she had let her Eevee choose what she wanted to evolve into and her Eevee had chosen to become a Vaporeon.

* * *

Anyway, we were all assembled on the beach, just over fifty Water Pokemon waiting while the judges rated us following the first part of the contest. This had involved us running up and down the beach (though those without legs were exempt from having to do this and there was a Pelipper present which had been allowed to fly instead) followed by a test of our speed in the water. For this, we had to go into the sea and swim out to a floating buoy, then back again, as the judges timed how long we took. I knew I had achieved one of the fastest times, but I had no idea what my time had been.

Now, the judges were about to announce the Pokemon moving on to the next stage. Those of us lucky enough to be chosen would be paired off and would have to battle each other. The losing Pokemon in each round would be eliminated and the winners would go on to battle again, the process being repeated until an overall winner had emerged. I listened with baited breath as I watched the trainers of the Pokemon that had been chosen step forward. Would Simon be among them? Had my performances in the first two rounds of the contest been rated highly enough?

I saw Carla step forward as her name was called. There were only three more places in the next round left, so most of the Pokemon whose trainers hadn't yet been called forward would have to wait until next year. I watched as two of the remaining places were taken by a Milotic with gleaming scales (whose trainer had clearly made an extra effort to get her Pokemon looking her best) and an Octillery whose trainer was a brown-haired boy. Then came the announcement of the Pokemon and trainer who had earned the final place.

"Simon and Golduck!"

I had done it - I was through to the next round! Simon had assured that it wouldn't matter if I didn't get through; we could always try again next year. Instead, I had impressed the judges sufficiently for them to put me through. Clearly, my performances in the first two rounds must have rated pretty high, especially since it was my first time in the contest. But all that was over with now and, along with the other successful Pokemon, I had to prepare for the next round. The battle round . . .

* * *

If you'll pardon the ocean-related pun, I sailed through the first few rounds, beating several Pokemon, including the Octillery belonging to the brown-haired boy, along the way. Gradually, the number of opponents was reduced until only one was left: Carla's Vaporeon. I would have to face off against a Pokemon belonging to my trainer's best friend.

Simon and Carla spoke to each other before the battle and agreed that they would not go easy on each other just because they were friends. And so they didn't; as Vaporeon and I launched into battle, we constantly kept each other on our toes, launching many powerful Attacks at each other. We both took hits during that battle, but neither of us was prepared to give up and, eventually, we ended up circling each other, both of us breathing heavily. We waiting for our trainers to issue their next orders, knowing that this could be the moment which decided the battle's outcome.

In the end, Vaporeon and I both went down together; we tried to use Ice Beam at the same time and they collided in the middle, causing what might, for want of a better term, be called a cold explosion. And, since the battle had ended in a draw, the judges had to look at our scores in the previous rounds to determine which of us was the overall winner, which of us would become the "Face of Kumquat Island" this year. It turned out that Vaporeon had done slightly better than me, so she was declared the winner and that meant she was the one who would get to appear on TV and do all that other cool stuff. I didn't mind, though; Simon and I could always re-enter next year.

And besides winning a contest should not be rated higher than friendship.


	41. Teamwork

**Teamwork**

I sat on Professor Juniper's desk with Tepig and Oshawott on either side of me, all three of us looking anxiously at the boy who had just walked into the laboratory. We were starter Pokemon, specially bred for rookie Pokemon trainers to take on their journeys if they did not yet have a Pokemon of their own, and one of us was about to become this boy's partner.

I studied him closely. He looked like your typical pre- to early-teenaged boy: slightly scruffy and dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. He was carrying a backpack over his shoulder and he was frowning as he inspecting each of us in turn, talking to himself as he did so. "Hmm . . . which do I take? Snivy, Tepig or Oshawott? They all evolve into cool Pokemon . . ."

Presently, after pacing back and forth a few times, the boy pointed to me. "I'll take the Snivy," he told Professor Juniper, who nodded and walked towards me with my Poke Ball in her hand. The next thing I knew, I was being drawn into the Ball, so I don't know at first hand what happened next. However, I had seen what happened when other trainers came to the laboratory to choose their Pokemon, so I can make an educated guess.

First, Professor Juniper handed my Poke Ball (with me inside it) to the boy, along with five empty Poke Balls and a handheld computer called a Pokedex. The latter would tell the boy everything he needed to know about the Pokemon he encountered on his travels. Then, equiped for his Pokemon journey, the boy left the laboratory, stopping off at his house to show me off to his parents, before returning me to my Poke Ball, leaving Nuvema Town and starting on the road to Accumula Town and, from there, on to Striaton City.

* * *

The boy, I soon learned, was called Dan. Like many young humans, he was setting out on a quest to conquer the Gyms in the Unova region and, in order to do that, he would have to catch and train Pokemon. I, he explained when he let me out of my Poke Ball for a break, was to help him with the catching part by battling wild Pokemon. Hearing this, I wondered how I'd react when the time came; I knew that was one of the reasons trainers carried Pokemon with them, but I had never battled before.

"Don't worry," said Dan, seeing the anxious look on my face. "I'm sure we'll make a great team."

I nuzzled against him. I'd heard rumours of trainers who treated their Pokemon like tools, forcing them to battle and showing no concern for their well-being. But, from what I'd seen of Dan, I could tell he wasn't like that. I could tell that, when he said we would "make a great team", he meant every word. And I vowed that I would do everything I could to make that a reality.

Just then, a movement in the bushes caught our attention. I caught a glimpse of two brown ears poking out of a nearby bush, but I couldn't see what kind of Pokemon they belonged to. Once, when a trainer from another region visited the lab, I had seen a small brown Pokemon called Eevee; it had been about the same size as the Pokemon in the bushes, but I knew it was highly unlikely we would find a wild Eevee living on the outskirts of Nuvema Town.

Dan, meanwhile, had pulled out his Pokedex and was using it to scan the bushes. _"Lillipup,"_ I heard an electronic voice say. _"A puppy Pokemon whose facial hair acts as a radar."_ He turned to me, his eyes alive with excitement, and pointed in the direction of the bush.

"Snivy," he said, "go flush it out."

In the few seconds it took me to run towards the bushes, I realised I was about to face an important milestone: my first battle.

* * *

I ran towards the Lillipup in a Tackle Attack, knocking it out of the bushes. It responded with a Tackle of its own, but I was a little too quick for it and dodged to one side, my pointed snout in the air, as the small brown dog collided with a nearby tree. It shook itself and came after me again. "Snivy, Leer!" I heard Dan call from behind me. In response, I fixed the Lillipup with a hard stare, one which I instinctively knew would lower its defence slightly. It yelped and stepped back a pace.

"Way to go, Snivy!" shouted Dan. "Now! Vine Whip!"

Vine Whip is the first Grass Attack a Snivy learns - unless it has inherited any Grass Type moves through breeding, but that's another matter. Anyway, I sent two long vines coiling out from my shoulders and wrapped them around the Lillipup, lifting it into the air. The dog struggled and tried to bite the vines in an attempt to make me let it go, but Dan countered that by having me slam it against the ground. Gradually, though the Lillipup tried to fight back with Tackles and Bites, I started to gain the upper hand and it wasn't long before the Lillipup was whimpering on the ground.

I watched as Dan pulled out one of the empty Poke Balls Professor Juniper had given him, took aim at the Lillipup and threw. It hit the Lillipup on the head, then opened to draw the small dog into its core in a flash of red light. There followed several tense moments as the Ball shook and vibrated on the ground, the Lillipup within struggling to free itself, before a clearly audible ping announced that Dan's first attempt to capture a Pokemon had been successful. Dan picked up the Poke Ball and held it aloft. "Yes!" he shouted. "I caught a Lillipup!"

I thought I should remind him that I had helped him to catch the Lillipup, but I knew that all he would hear was me saying my name over and over. In time, most trainers learn to understand what their Pokemon are saying (or at least the gist of it) but it was still early days for Dan and myself. In any case, I did not have long to think about it before Dan returned me to my Poke Ball.

* * *

Dan and I moved on, taking the Lillipup (which we later learned was a female) with us. There were now three members in our team and Dan was determined to acquire a few more Pokemon by the time he reached Accumula Town. In the end, he caught four, starting with a Drilbur he literally stumbled across while exploring a cave; after a battle with me, the mole was quickly added to our team. Next, Dan found a Pidove, followed by a Patrat, both of which were caught without too much trouble.

The last Pokemon was a little harder. It was a Sawk, a Fighting Type Pokemon bigger than any of us, and none of us apart from Pidove had any natural advantages against a Fighting Pokemon. Nonetheless, Dan decided the Sawk would be a great Pokemon to add to his collection, so he sent Pidove, Drilbur and myself to battle the Fighting Pokemon, a blue-skinned humanoid in what looked like a martial arts suit. He did not send out Lillipup and Patrat because he knew, even this early in his journey that they would be at a disadvantage in this battle. Even so, the Sawk was not easy to bring down. He was fast and his Attacks were powerful; at one point, I barely managed to avoid his kicking feet.

Gradually, however, we wore him down until a Gust from Pidove sent him flying into a tree. Before the Sawk could get up, Dan threw a Poke Ball and added the Fighting Pokemon to his collection. Then, with his six Pokemon (including myself) in their Poke Balls, he moved on, travelling until he reached the outskirts of Accumula Town. There, he let us all out of our Balls and we were looking at the nearby town when a thought occurred to me.

Beyond this point lay the Gyms of the Unova League Dan had told me about. From now on, things would get serious; Lillipup, Drilbur, Pidove, Patrat, Sawk and I would be trained to battle the Gym Leaders so that Dan could earn eight Badges. And that meant we would have to learn to work as a team.


	42. Standing Still

**Standing Still**

Every morning, I fly up to the top of the tallest building in town and stand watching the sun's passage across the sky. At least that's what I do with my physical eyes, the eyes that see what is actually around me, but we Psychic Pokemon have another eye, one that others can't see. It's the eye that's concealed in the mind, the eye that allows us to "see" that which exists beyond the "here and now". Some of us are clairvoyant, meaning we can "see" what is happening far away, while some are precognitive and can "see" what may happen in the future.

I am a Xatu, otherwise known as the mystic Pokemon. And, as I stand here each day, my mind's eye "sees" images of the future. It's never very clear because even Psychic Pokemon who possess the gift of precognition are not allowed to know too much about events that have yet to happen. However, by keeping as still as possible, I can sometimes make the visions a little clearer. But, even then, there are things I am not allowed to know; in this event, the vision goes black for a time and that tells me not to probe too deeply.

It doesn't disturb me when my visions go black because I know what it means and I also know that whatever it is will be revealed when the time is right. Besides, if I knew everything that was going to happen in the future, I wouldn't have to stand here every day.

* * *

Please don't think for one second that, because I can "see" into the future, I know everything. There are those who seem to think I'm there to tell them if it will rain next week or what their newly acquired Eevee will evolve into, trivial things like that. Even with precognition, predicting the weather can never be 100% accurate; there are so many variables involved. And, as for what an Eevee will evolve into, that's between the Eevee and the trainer. It's not up to me to influence such a decision. Of course, I do sometimes "see" what an individual Eevee _may_ evolve into, but I never reveal this to the trainer.

In case you're wondering how I, a Xatu, can reveal anything to humans, I am one of the few Pokemon who can talk human language. I learned when I was still a Natu; I used to belong to a travelling magician and, after I learned to talk, he began to use me in his act. At first, it wasn't too bad, just a matter of predicting which card a volunteer from the audience had drawn at random and things like that. But, then, he started asking me to make impossibly accurate predictions - and I've already said that there are things that cannot be predicted with complete accuracy. Unfortunately, some humans think Pokemon (of any species) exist simply to serve their purposes.

Anyway, I tried to explain that he was asking be to do the impossible, that, no matter how still I stood, I could not make my visions completely clear all of the time. But he wouldn't listen and threatened to have me put into a permanent state of paralysis if that was what it took to make me do what he wanted. So I let him have it, gave him a taste of my Psychic Attack and Teleported away from where he was camped that night. That's how I ended up in the town where I now stand vigil.

The magician has never tracked me down. He liked to surround himself with Psychic Pokemon - as well as me, he had a Hypno, an Espeon, a Gallade, a Reuniclus and a Claydol - but he wasn't a psychic himself. Everything he did on stage was a clever illusion, helped along by one or more of his Pokemon, hidden out of sight of the audience. In short, he was a fraud and, not only that, he didn't understand the true nature of Psychic Pokemon. Had he done so, he might not have tried to make me use my abilities the way he did.

In any case, he's never found me and I'm about as certain as it's possible to be that he never will.

* * *

It's not only the future that I can "see". Sometimes, I can "see" into the past as well; in this case, the visions are much clearer and they never go black because they concern events that have already happened. So it doesn't matter how much they reveal to me. The past is a set fact, whereas the future is a range of possibilities, many of which will not come to pass. I could stand as still as I liked, but it still wouldn't allow me to know exactly what was going to happen in the future. No living thing has that right; that's why I never give a direct answer if people come seeking my advice.

I often get visits from human children on Pokemon journeys; luckily, none of them have tried to catch me yet. However, when they learn that I can predict the future, they do tend to pester me with questions about how to beat the next Gym Leader, whether they will become Pokemon Masters and stuff like that. I simply tell them to trust in their Pokemon and do their best. Even when I sense that a young trainer is destined for greatness, I never tell them directly that they will become "the world's greatest . . . whatever"; they will find out for themselves in time.

Besides, if people knew exactly what the future had in store for them, where would the fun be? There needs to be an element of surprise in everyone's lives . . .

* * *

Even though my visions are never completely clear, they do sometimes warn of impending danger. Once, while I was standing here, I had a premonition that the river which flows through the town was going to burst its banks and flood the place. Knowing this, I quickly alerted the town's mayor and got him to evacuate everyone to higher ground. Many lives were saved as a result and, once the floodwaters had receded and the people could return to their homes, I was offered a medal as a reward. I had to decline it, though; after all, where was I supposed to pin it? To my feathers?

No, having saved the townsfolk was reward enough for me. I had foreseen the danger the town was in and used that knowledge to ensure that none of them were caught in the flood when it came. That's just one of the ways in which we Pokemon differ from humans. You need physical objects such as medals or Gym Badges to remind you of what you've achieved, whereas we are content simply to know that we have done something worthwhile.

Since I saved them from the flood, the townsfolk have adopted me as their mascot. The town's coat of arms includes the silhouette of a Xatu with its wings open and a life-size statue of a Xatu has been erected in the square. There is even a special Xatu Festival on the anniversary of the flood, where everyone dresses up in Xatu masks. And a number of local children have gone out to catch wild Natus to train in the hope that they will have a Xatu of their own one day. They have to go quite far afield, though, because wild Natus don't live round here.

There have been other times when I've used my powers for the benefit of others, but the flood is the one everyone remembers. After the experience I had with the magician, I could have come to the conclusion that all humans were out to exploit Pokemon, but, as a Psychic Pokemon, I can sense the motives of others. Such as whether or not they can be trusted . . .

Indeed, this once proved useful when two members of Team Rocket tried to capture me, doubtless to sell me for as much money as possible; I've heard all about their methods. They pretended to be ordinary trainers come to seek my advice, but I quickly saw through their lies and sent them packing. But not before I'd given them a few Psychic Attacks to remember me by.

* * *

So there you have it. I am a Xatu, a Psychic Pokemon who has become the mascot of a small town, who acts as an oracle of the future. I have stood here every day for many years, watching the sun as it journeys across the sky from east to west, as my mind's eye probes the mysterious realm that is the future, a realm whose secrets are only revealed when the time is right. And, if you are ever in this town, look up at the tallest building; you might see me standing still and quiet in my meditations.


	43. Dying

**Dying**

I can feel my time drawing near. Soon, the time will come when my soul leaves this worn out body and I wish to share something with you before I go. It's not a concrete object, but a story about the boy who was my best friend from the time I was still a Pansear. We first met in Pinwheel Forest, the place where I'd lived all my life, the place which many wild Pokemon call home. I remember it was a warm day in late spring, the sunlight filtering through the leaves to fall on the forest floor to give a dappled effect.

Pinwheel Forest is full of winding paths, so it's easy to get lost if you don't know your way around. And that's what happened to the boy I told you about; he wandered off the path and couldn't find his way again. In fact, a lot of humans get lost in Pinwheel Forest; since the Skyarrow Bridge which leads to Castelia City is nearby, Pokemon trainers often pass through. Fortunately, they generally find the way out eventually. I have heard rumours that two trainers died there once and that their ghosts are still wandering round looking for the way out, but I don't know if there's any truth in it.

Anyway, it was a warm spring day and I was in the forest gathering fruit when I heard a whimpering sound coming from somewhere nearby. Curious, I went to investigate, finding a small human crouching in front of a tree, sobbing into its hands. The human was much smaller than most of those I'd seen and I wondered what it was doing here alone. There's a kindergarten near Pinwheel Forest and the children sometimes go into the forest for a nature walk. However, that didn't explain why this child was alone.

I walked up to the child and touched him gently; he looked up to reveal large brown eyes brimming with tears. "Hi," he said, wiping his eyes. "Can you help me get out of here? I only meant to go a little way, but I got lost!" He looked like he was about to start crying again.

Before he could do so, I nodded. He was wearing the uniform worn by the children at the kindergarten and I'd been out of the forest a couple of times, so I knew where the kindergarten was. Add to that the fact that I knew my way around this forest and it shouldn't be too difficult to lead this little boy out of here. "Thanks," he said smiling. Then he added: "You're a Pansear - my teacher taught me all about Pokemon. When I'm older, I'm gonna be a Pokemon trainer."

Right now, however, the most important thing was to lead him out of the forest.

* * *

It did not take me long to find the way out. Soon, the child and I emerged from the trees to see a large building with several small humans playing outside. A woman was hurrying towards us, a frantic expression on her face, her words falling out of her mouth in a torrent. "Mike, where have you been? We've been looking all over for you! You know you're not to go into the forest by yourself!"

From this, I gathered that the little boy's name was Mike. I hadn't known him long, but I liked him and he, in turn, seemed to like me. "This Pansear helped me get back," he said, pointing to me. "Can I keep it?" He looked at the woman with an earnest expression on his face, silently pleading with her to say yes.

"If that's what Pansear wants, of course you can," said the woman. She turned to me and asked: "Well, Pansear, would you like to stay with Mike and be his Pokemon?"

I thought for a moment. Should I give up the life of a wild Pansear and become Mike's Pokemon? Mike had said he wanted to be a Pokemon trainer when he was older and I'd heard rumours that some trainers treated their Pokemon like tools, discarding them if they weren't up to scratch. But, from what I'd seen of Mike, I didn't think he would be like that, so I nodded to show that I was happy to become his Pokemon. Seeing this, Mike flung his arms around my neck and gave me the sort of hug which only very young humans are capable of giving.

"Yay!" he cried happily, taking me by the hand. "Come and meet my friends," he added, dragging me over to a table where two boys and a girl were playing with something I later learned was called Plasticine. Mike told me these three children were called Shane, Timmy and Katie. Soon, they were happily moulding their Plasticine into shapes. Katie finished first and held her Plasticine up to reveal a model of me; it was rather crude, but I could tell it was meant to be a Pansear.

* * *

I went home with Mike that night; his parents had both been Pokemon trainers before they married, so they were happy for their son to have a Pokemon of his own. For the next few years, Mike and I played together every day and became close friends. His parents would not let him take me to school with him, but neither of us minded because we both knew we would see each other when he got home. We continued like that until just after Mike's tenth birthday; that was when he became old enough to be a Pokemon trainer.

Mike and I set off together on a journey which would take us all over the Unova region. During our travels, we met many people and saw many Pokemon; some of the latter even joined us on our journey, but I was always Mike's favourite. He never put me in a Poke Ball, allowing me to walk beside him as he travelled down the road, and, when he evolved me into a Simisear, he made sure to ask me if it was what I wanted. I was his friend as well as his Pokemon and he didn't want to force me into evolution against my wishes.

We thought we would alway be together - until the day I started to get sick. At first, we thought it was nothing serious, but when I collapsed by a river one day, Mike rushed me to the Pokemon Centre. The news was not good; I had Dewhurst's Syndrome, a rare disease which only affects Fire Type Pokemon and for which there is no cure. The only thing Mike could do for me was to give me regular doses of Max Potion, but even that would not work forever.

Mike was very upset when he heard the news and, that night, I saw him cry for the first time since I met him as a little boy lost in Pinwheel Forest. We had been together for almost seven years and had hoped to conquer the Unova League together. Now, that would never happen. My condition would continue to get worse and worse until no amount of Potion would restore me to health. And, when that happened, it was only a question of time until . . .

But Mike was not ready to give up on me. He got in touch with Professor Dewhurst, the Pokeologist who had first identified the illness from which I was suffering, hoping against hope that he might have found a cure. We learned that he was working on one, but it was still at the early stages and, by the time it was ready to be tested on an actual Pokemon, it would be too late for me.

* * *

After that, we returned to Nacrene City, Mike's hometown, where we settled into a routine. Several times each day, Mike would give me a Max Potion in an attempt to ward off the symptoms of the disease. However, it was not a cure, merely a means of prolonging my life a little, though we both knew I was living on borrowed time. And, as time passed, the Potions became less and less effective as the disease continued to take its toll on my system. Now, my time is near; it is only a question of hours, a few days at the most.

Mike spends nearly all his time beside me, providing what comfort he can. I was his first Pokemon, the one who I helped when he was lost in Pinwheel Forest, the one with whom I travelled around the Unova region, and I think he wants to make sure that the time I have left is as happy as possible. For that reason, he never cries in front of me, though I can tell he wants to. When the time comes, I'm sure there will be plenty of tears shed for a friend lost forever, but I pray that Mike will not allow himself to be consumed with grief; he has other Pokemon and they need him too.

Mike has made a promise to me. When the time comes, he will place me in a box which his father has made and carry me into Pinwheel Forest, where he will bury me. My body, a useless shell, will lie at rest in the place where Mike and I first met all those years ago, but my spirit will remain with him always. He may not see me, but I will be there.


	44. Two Roads

**Two Roads**

"I say we need to go to the right!"

"No we don't - the left's the path we want!"

I stood and watched as Johnny and Susie argued over which road we should take in order to get out of Eterna Forest, the forest through which we had been travelling for the last few hours. I turned to Johnny's Oddish and shrugged; this could go on for some time. We were supposed to be heading for Eterna City, but when Johnny and Susie came to a fork in the road, they immediately started arguing about whether to go left or right. Johnny was certain the fork which went right was the one which would lead us out of the forest, but Susie was just as certain we needed to go left.

Before going any further, I'd better digress a little and explain that I am Susie's Buneary and that Susie and I had just set off on a Pokemon journey. We were travelling with Susie's best friend, Johnny, and his Oddish and things had been going quite well until now. Johnny and Susie had both caught new Pokemon (Johnny had picked up a Kricketot and Susie had caught a Goldeen) and we had been making good time. Until we came to that fork in the road . . .

That was when Susie and Johnny started arguing - and it didn't look as though either of them was willing to be the one who backed down first. At this rate, they would go on forever, bickering about which road to take and generally wasting time. Why could humans never agree on anything? That was a question I'd asked myself many times and I was no nearer the answer. We were supposed to be going to Eterna City, but we would never get there the way Johnny and Susie were carrying on.

* * *

"Why can't you admit you don't know where you're going?" demanded Susie, glaring at Johnny out of her pale blue eyes.

"Because . . ." Johnny began, then hesitated. But Susie filled in the rest for him.

"Don't bother making excuses! You're like all boys - can't admit a girl might be right! Well, I've had it!" She marched over to me and picked me up. "Come on, Buneary. We're getting out of here. Let's leave Mr I'm-not-lost to find his own way!" With that, she lifted me onto my usual perch on her shoulder and marched off down the path which headed left, without giving Johnny and his Oddish so much as a backwards glance. I saw a Burmy peering from the branches of a nearby tree, the perfect target for a young Pokemon trainer, but Susie was so angry that she paid it no heed.

"Hey, Susie! Wait up!"

Susie and I looked round to see Johnny, his Oddish peering out of his backpack, running in our direction. There was a triumphant smile on Susie's face as he drew level with her, the sort of smile which says: "I knew you'd come round to my way of thinking." But Johnny ignored it and stood catching his breath before he spoke again. "Where are . . . you going?"

"Out of this forest!" Susie shot back. "And I thought you wanted to take the other path." She gave Johnny a look which dared him to explain why he was following her when she had specifically told him to find his own way.

"I do, but . . ."

"But what?"

Johnny looked down at the ground and did not reply, something which did not go down well with Susie. The two of them may have been best friends, but they could never agree on anything and I began to wonder if they would end up arguing about the route every day we were on this journey. And it was clear that Susie was not about to let Johnny get away with not answering her. She glared at him, her hands on her hips. "Well? Out with it!"

"I thought we shouldn't split up," Johnny said lamely. "I mean a forest can be a dangerous place when you're on your own."

"But I'm not on my own," Susie reminded him. "I've got Buneary and Goldeen. And you've got Oddish and Kricketot. Or do you think I can't look after myself?"

Johnny tried to protest that he had not meant anything of the kind, but Susie was, as usual determined to have the last word. "I'll tell you what we'll do," she said in a tone which dared Johnny to argue with her. "We'll go this way, then, if we come to a dead end, we'll go back and try your way." But the look on her face clearly said she doubted that would be necessary.

* * *

With Susie and Johnny having reached a temporary truce, we set off again, heading down the path Susie was convinced would lead us out of here. It was a pleasent afternoon in late summer, the sort of day when you want to forget your troubles and relax. But there was no time for us to do anything like that; Susie and Johnny wanted to be in Eterna City by nightfall and that meant getting out of this forest as quickly as possible. Which made me wonder why they had wasted so much time arguing about which path to take . . . Still, that's humans for you.

Anyway, we followed the path as it wound its way through the forest, though I noticed that neither Susie nor Johnny said anything as they walked. Most likely they were wary of restarting their recent argument and had reach a silent consensus that it would be better if they didn't say anything for a while. This gave me time to think and I began speculating about what I might see on this journey, what Pokemon I might encounter, whether I would evolve into a Lopunny . . .

Just as I was day-dreaming about being a Lopunny, my thoughts were interupted by a shouted of: "Damn it!" from Susie. I glanced ahead to find the path blocked by a thicket of trees that would take a swarm of Scythers a whole day to clear. And I hardly need remind you that neither Susie nor Johnny had a Scyther; not only that, none of the Pokemon they had with them had been taught to use Cut.

"It's a dead end." Susie turned and looked at Johnny. "Come on," she said reluctantly. "We'll go your way."

* * *

"I was right, you were wrong! I was right, you were wrong! I was right, you were wrong! I was right, you were wrong!"

Johnny sang the same six words over and over as he and Susie retraced their steps back to the fork in the path. As he sang, he danced all round Susie, pulling faces at her and repeatedly impeding her progress. I could tell Susie was getting mad - I mean, who wouldn't be if they had someone dancing round and singing a taunting song at them? But Johnny did not seem to notice and kept up his: "I was right, you were wrong!" chant until . . .

"Will you give it a rest?"

The volume of Susie's shout caused a Starly in a nearby tree to take flight in alarm. Johnny paused in mid-song and looked at her questioningly. "What's up?" he asked, trying to sound as innocent as possible, not that I expected it to work on Susie.

"Your idiotic singing, that's what," she told him. "It's bad enough that I led us down the wrong path, but do you have to rub it in?"

"OK, I'm sorry!" Johnny gave Susie the "please don't slap me" look, but he stopped singing all the same and remained silent as they headed back the way they had come. And judging by the huffy silence with which she greeted his apology, I could tell Susie had nothing more to say to him for the time being. Still, at least all was quiet - for now. In fact, it was so peaceful here in Eterna Forest that, by the time they had reached the fork in the road and had started on the path which went right, Susie and Johnny had forgotten their quarrel.


	45. Illusion

**Illusion**

"And, for my next illusion, I call on my very capable assistant . . . Kadabra!"

That, transmitted to me via a radio-microphone in the dressing room, was my cue to Teleport onto the stage and help The Great Marvello with his magic act, just as I had done nearly every night since I was still an Abra. Closing my eyes, I focused all my Psychic energy on transfering myself the short distance from the dressing room to the stage. I felt myself zipping through space, then, seconds later, I became aware of applause and cheering. I opened my eyes to see The Great Marvello standing there, dressed in the black top hat and tails that make up his stage costume, his arms raised as he addressed the audience.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, Kadabra will demonstrate . . ."

I knew exactly what The Great Marvello was going to say next; it was the same every time he used me in his act. The Great Marvello is a famous stage magician and, like most stage magicians, he likes to use Psychic Pokemon in his act. He owns several, including a Natu and a Gallade, but I've always been his personal favourite and that means I'm generally the one who gets called on to help him with his act. Normally, I don't mind, but lately I'd been growing bored with doing the same thing every time he put on a performance. Why, I asked myself, couldn't he come up with some new illusions? Or, at least, use one of his other Pokemon? Anything to add a bit of variety to proceedings . . .

Well, if he wasn't going to make any changes to his act, I was. Rather than meekly obey when The Great Marvello asked me to levitate Poke Balls, bend metal bars with the power of my mind and stuff like that, I was going to do whatever I felt like doing. And, if The Great Marvello didn't like it, that was too bad.

* * *

I could see The Great Marvello standing behind a table with two identical boxes placed on it. At least they looked identical, until The Great Marvello picked one up and opened it to reveal that it contained a Pidove in a cage. Then, he closed it again and opened up the other box, revealing that it contained neither a cage nor a Pidove. This was one of the simplest tricks in his repetoire; I was supposed to use Teleport to move the Pidove from one box to another. Simple enough, of course. In fact, I considered it a bit _too_ simple, hardly a challenge for my mental powers. I could have been travelling with a trainer, honing my skills in battles against other Pokemon; instead, I was stuck with being a magician's assistant.

And I'd had enough of it. The papers loved to talk about how The Great Marvello and I were "one of the closest human/Pokemon partnerships in existence"; they were always doing articles about our lives on and off stage, but they didn't tell the whole story. For example, they had no idea that I was getting fed up with the same old act, largely because they only ever interviewed The Great Marvello and never asked for my opinion. I may be a Pokemon, but my intelligence is as great, if not greater, than a human's. I can even read and write, not that these human seem to have realised this; they seem to think even a Psychic Pokemon could not pick up such a skill. Anyway, the press only ever interviewed The Great Marvello and that creates the illusion that everything is A OK between us.

Well I was about to shatter that illusion, starting with the Pidove in the box. I was going to show everyone how bored I was with the endless repetition of the same old routine. I was going to sabotage The Great Marvello's act.

So, when The Great Marvello called: "Kadabra, Teleport!" I loftily ignored him and instead began to levitate the spoon I carry everywhere. Every Kadabra carries a spoon which they use to focus their powers, not that mine ever got much of a workout; The Great Marvello was still having me do the same tricks I did when I was an Abra. Again I heard him tell me to "use Teleport" and, again, I ignored him.

Then, the laughter began. Slowly at first, but gradually it built up until it seemed that the whole theatre was in hysterics at the sight of The Great Marvello and his disobedient Kadabra. The only person not laughing was The Great Marvello himself; he was standing there looking absolutely furious, so furious, in fact, that I was sure he was about to burst a blood vessel.

"Kadabra, stop messing around and use Teleport!" The Great Marvello yelled, getting angrier and angrier.

So I used Teleport - on myself. I transported myself so that I was directly behind The Great Marvello, prompting a few shouts of: "Behind you!" from the audience. The Great Marvello quickly turned round to see for himself, but I only Teleported myself so that I was still behind him. He turned round again and I Teleported again, laughing to myself at how flustered he was getting. Then, using the power of my mind, I unzipped his trousers, causing them to fall down around his ankles, though I drew the line at snapping the elastic in his underpants. After all, there were children in the audience.

As the audience roared with laughter, The Great Marvello tried to salvage what dignity he could and hurried off the stage.

* * *

"Kadabra, what were you playing at out there?"

We were back in The Great Marvello's dressing room and he was changing out of his stage costume. "Completely ruined the act!" he muttered, taking off his bowtie and flinging it to the floor. "You should _know_ what you're supposed to do - you've done it often enough!"

That was just the problem; I'd done it _too_ often and I'd grown tired of the Teleporting Pidove trick, along with pretty much everything else in The Great Marvello's repetoire. True it had been exciting working with him at first, but he hadn't changed his act for years. Why couldn't he come up with some new material? Something that included an element of the unexpected? Why did he keep relying on the same tricks over and over again? Those questions, and many others, circulated through my mind as The Great Marvello ranted at me for "ruining his act".

Just then, there was a knock on the dressing room door. Still muttering angrily and partly in his stage costume, The Great Marvello stormed over to the door and flung it open. "Look," he said, clearly expecting disgruntled audience members, "it's not my fault the act went wrong. My Kadabra . . ." He broke of as he saw who was on the other side of the door - the theatre manager, Mr Drew.

"Sir, I'm sorry," he said. "I'll make sure it never happens again."

But Mr Drew was smiling. "Are you kidding? The audience loved it! And so did I! In fact, I loved it so much that I'd like to book you for an extended season!"

"Do . . . do you really mean that?" Evidently, The Great Marvello had been expecting to find himself being flung out of the stage door after the way I had sabotaged his act. Not that I wanted anything like that to happen; I was only trying to liven things up a little.

"Of course I do. The way your Kadabra ignored your instructions really added spice to the performance. And I've never seen such great comic timing! Far, far superior to a run-of-the-mill magic act! George," Mr Drew added, using the name The Great Marvello uses when he isn't on stage, "I hope you'll consider my offer. After all, a mischievous Pokemon is just the sort of thing audiences love . . ."

Mr Drew continued raving for a while long, but my mind shut him out. Of all the outcomes for my attempt to sabotage The Great Marvello's act, this was the last thing I had expected, though it was certainly a pleasent surprise. The audience had loved it and, not only that, they thought my disobedience had been rehearsed, that it was part of the act. Still, I thought as I looked at The Great Marvello, that was an illusion I was happy to maintain.


	46. Family

**Family**

I've often heard Pokemon who belong to the same team say they feel almost like a family, as though they have somehow become related to each other, even when they are not from the same evolutionary line or even lines which can breed with each other.

The Pokemon on my team do not feel like that. We don't need to, for the simple reason that we already are a family. You see, my father is a Jolteon, my mother is a Glaceon and we all belong to the same trainer. Helen started out with two Eevees, cute brown Pokemon capable of evolving into seven different forms. In her case, her male Eevee became a Jolteon, while her female Eevee became a Glaceon. Anyway, not long after the latter evolved, they stopped off at a Pokemon Centre with Helen. While they were there, the two of them got to talking and realised they were in love.

I won't go into details about what happened next, but I will say that I was the result. Not long after that night at the Pokemon Centre, Helen's Glaceon (my mother) laid an egg, an egg which contained me. Along with my parents, I am now a member of Helen's party, travelling with her on her Pokemon journey. Some day, I hope to evolve into an Espeon or, perhaps, an Umbreon, though I would be happy with whichever of my evolved forms I became. Right now, I'm still an Eevee.

* * *

Though most Pokemon trainers have a variety of Pokemon on their teams, there are also those who choose to specialise, to focus on a particular kind of Pokemon. Helen has chosen Pokemon from the Eevee line, though she currently only has myself and my parents. Not many trainers travel with a whole family of Pokemon and I think Helen is hoping for a few more new additions so that she can have the full set of Eevee evolutions. Of course, she won't be able to carry them all with her because, as I've learned on my travels, trainers can only have six Pokemon with them and there are seven possible evolutions for an Eevee.

At the moment, however, she has only three Pokemon: a Jolteon (my father), a Glaceon (my mother) and an Eevee (me). Like any Pokemon trainer, she puts us through regular battle practice which, unless there is another trainer around, generally means battling each other. My parents both have a slight edge when they battle me; they have evolved, whereas I haven't yet. Also, they don't go easy on me just because I'm their daughter, so I've had to learn to use an Eevee's speed and agility to my advantage. It certainly comes in handy for dodging my father's Thundershocks or my mother's Ice Beams.

Outside of Pokemon battles, we're a very close family and I like nothing better than sitting with my parents and just relaxing, not thinking about training or battles or anything like that. I especially like it when my mother licks my forehead, as all mothers from the Eevee line do with their offspring; it reinforces the bond between us and it's also very comforting. Of course, my mother is a Glaceon, an Ice Type, so her body temperature is cooler than that of non-Ice Types, but I know she has a warm heart.

I don't know about other Pokemon, but I like to think of Helen as a member of the family. She may be human, but she is the one raising the three of us, making sure we are fed, taking us to the Pokemon Centre when we are hurt or just need refreshing. All the things a trainer is supposed to do for their Pokemon . . . I've met Pokemon who take a more cynical attitude to humans, who say they only look after us to suit their purposes, but Helen genuinely cares about her Pokemon, which is why I think of her almost as an aunt. She's not the sister of either of my parents, of course, but you know what I mean.

In any case, Helen is one of the kindest humans I know and that is why I have made her an honorary member of the family.

* * *

There may soon be an addition to our little family. Helen has just dropped both my parents off at a place called a "Pokemon Daycare". That's the rather euphemistic name for the place where trainers leave their Pokemon when they want them to breed. From what I've been told, it's a matter of dropping off two Pokemon that can breed together and, as they say, letting nature take its course. But, as I said before, I'm not going to go into details about what that involves; this isn't one of those stories where two Pokemon . . . You can complete _that_ sentence yourself.

Anyway, Helen has left my parents at the Daycare and, if all goes according to plan, I could soon have a younger brother or sister. But she says it's going to take some time, so she plans to go off and train me while my parents . . . carry out the necessary procedure. I'm sorry if that sounds a little clinical, but I can't be any more direct than that; I want this to be the sort of story that anyone can read without having to worry about it containing "content unsuitable for minors".

Am I excited about the prospect of a new sibling? It's too early to say yet, but I hope I will enjoy having a brother or sister to play with. Until now, it's just been me, my parents and Helen. Which is all right, but my parents are evolved Pokemon and Helen is human. Don't get me wrong; I love them all, but it would be nice to have another Eevee around.

Of course, by the time the new baby Eevee is hatched, I may have evolved. Lately, Helen has been pampering me rather more than usual, particularly during the day, so she may be trying to get me to evolve into an Espeon. So, by the time I have my little brother or sister, I could have changed from a cute brown Pokemon with a bushy tail to an elegant purple Pokemon with a tail which splits into two near its tip. If so, I will still be a good older sister and will help my parents and Helen with the new Eevee as much as possible.

* * *

But all that is in the future. In the meantime, Helen and I are on the road again, though Helen regularly checks with the Daycare to see how my parents are doing. They say Pokemon rarely like to produce eggs while humans are watching, so it's best if the trainer goes off and does something else while their Pokemon do "what comes naturally". This can take some time, but the people running a Daycare will always let the trainer know if an egg is found with their Pokemon. So Helen has left her mobile number with the man and woman in charge of the Daycare where she left my parents.

I've heard that, when the people who run Daycares find a Pokemon egg, they often tell the trainer they "don't know how it got there". I don't know if that's true, but I do know how baby Pokemon are made - I just don't want to go into details. So I'm pretty sure most humans would know too, so why they would claim that an egg has mysteriously appeared is anybody's guess.

Do I want to have young of my own one day? Maybe, but I'm not quite ready yet; even though an Eevee can lay an egg, I want to evolve first. And I'm also waiting until the right male Pokemon (not necessarily another Eevee evolution) comes along, so I'm not going to go off and . . . you know. My mother has always told me that what she and my father have is something special, something which can't be found with just any Pokemon. So I want there to be something special between my future mate and myself.

In fact, I think I may have found that special Pokemon. I didn't mention it before, but Helen has a friend called Tessa who has a male Luxio; we meet up from time to time and I've been friends with Tessa's Luxio since he was a Shinx. And, when we last met, he hinted that he wanted us to be more than friends, so maybe once I've evolved . . .

But I'll have to stop there. Helen has just received a call from the Daycare and we're heading there right now to pick up the egg containing the new addition to our family.


	47. Creation

**Creation**

I am Arceus, the alpha Pokemon, the creator. Long, long ago, before the world was born, there was nothing but a vast empty void and it was from this void that the very first Pokemon were created. Not your run-of-the-mill Pokemon like Pikachu or Mudkip or Lillipup; these Pokemon were Legendaries with powers other Pokemon do not possess. And I was one of those first Pokemon: the _very_ first, to be precise, hence why I am known as the alpha Pokemon.

For a long time, I was alone in the void, floating inside a giant egg. Gradually, however, I began to crave company, so I drew on the energy of the void and created the other Legendary Pokemon. Mew, Celebi, Jirachi, Shaymin and all the others came into being as a result, each emerging fully formed and ready to carry out whatever tasks they had been designated. Trouble was, with nothing existing but a formless void, there was nowhere and nowhen for them to carry out their tasks. For example, Celebi was given the power to travel in time, but he could not use that power in a place where time did not exist.

That was when I realised I would have to create something, something outside the void, something tangible. And so I drew on all the power within the void and prepared myself for the long task ahead.

* * *

The first thing I created when I descended inside my egg was time, the division of day into night, of the year into seasons, all continuing in an endless cycle. But I also created the finer divisions of years into months, months into weeks, weeks into days, days into hours, hours into minutes, minutes into seconds . . . I did create divisions of time even smaller than a second, but I don't have time to list them all. Besides, most of them are so small as to be virtually undetectable.

Anyway, once I had created time, I set to work creating the physical world and the Universe which surrounds it. I created the sun, the moon and the stars, allocating the day to the sun and the night to the moon and stars. Next came the world itself; this started life in the shape of an egg, intended to replicate the egg in which I floated, but I found that a ball shape like I had already given to the sun and the moon was more practical. Which is why the world is in the shape of a giant ball . . .

When I first created the world, it was a vast, featureless globe with nothing on it at all - no plants, no Pokemon, no people. Before I could create any of those things, however, I had to make the world ready for them. Again I drew on the energy of the void and used it to sculpt the globe I had created. Mountains rose up, the oceans filled with water, rivers and streams began to carve their way through the land. But still there was nothing living on the world I had created, so I began to scatter seeds which I had created while inside the void across the land, giving rise to the first plants.

I did not distribute my seeds evenly across the whole world; some areas received the seeds of woodland plants and became the first forests, others received the seeds of grasses . . . and so on. And there were areas which only received the seeds of a few hardy plants, the areas which became the world's deserts. There were also seeds for plants designed to grow in the mountains. Put simply, I scattered my seeds according to where the plants they were destined to grow into had the best chance of growing and flourishing.

* * *

I did the same thing when I came to create Pokemon to populate the world, assigning each species to the environment which suited it best. For example, the rivers and oceans became home to Water Pokemon, while Rock and Ground Pokemon were created to live as far from water as possible. And so I gave each Pokemon species its place in the world, as well as the ability to breed and recreate itself. However, as time passed, I began to realise there was a major flaw in that plan.

Unlike the Legendary Pokemon, I had put limits on the powers these Pokemon possessed so they could not destroy the world I had created. But, even with their powers curtailed, they were immortal for the simple reason that I had not yet created death. It hadn't occurred to me when I first created the world that I might one day need to remove any of my creations, but, as the world grew more and more crowded with Pokemon, I realised something would have to be done. The Pokemon were breeding continually, but none of them were dying or even getting old and that meant there were more and more Pokemon, a situation which could not continue for much longer.

In the end, I was faced with the hard reality that some of the Pokemon would have to go, starting with the very first ones I had created. Originally, I planned to erase them completely, but, when the time came, I couldn't bring myself to do it, to destroy my own creations. Instead, I simple took away the thing drawn from the void which gave them life, taking it back into the void with me and leaving their lifeless bodies behind. Thus was death created, but I took comfort in knowing that, as long as each species continued to breed, there would always be more Pokemon to replace those whose life essences I took back into the void.

Some think of life and death, creation and destruction as polar opposites. I prefer to think of them as two different sides of the same thing. A Pokemon hatches from its egg. It grows up, sometimes evolving into new, more powerful, forms, grows old and dies. But it may also became the parent of some of the next generation, the Pokemon who will continue the cycle in their turn. In short, all living things die, but there will always be new living things to take their place.

For a long time, the world was only inhabited by Pokemon, including the other Legendaries, who had also descended from the void. But I had enough energy for one final creation, a creation unlike anything I had attempted before.

* * *

My new creation would not be a Pokemon, but something entirely different. I would give it intelligence and the ability to adapt the environment to suit its needs, rather than adapting it to suit its environment as I had done with my previous creations. It would not possess the special powers of Pokemon - I no longer had enough void energy to make that possible - but it would possess the ability to make use of the tools which its environment offered. Some Pokemon species could, to a limited extent, use tools already, an example being the leeks which Farfetch'd carry around and use as weapons. But this new creation of mine would be far more adaptable in its use of tools. It would have to be; since I was not going to give it any special powers, it would have no natural defences.

I would also give my creation a natural interest in Pokemon and their ways, though I would leave it free to decide how to use that interest. This, of course, meant there was a danger that some members of the new species might come to see Pokemon as little more than tools, but I trusted that others might choose to become friends with them. It would be their choice, but I hoped most would follow the latter path. If they did not, there was no telling what damage they would do, particularly if they tried to exploit any of the Legendary Pokemon. For that reason, I took extra precautions where the Legendaries were concerned, making some of them extremely elusive and placing others in areas which were virtually inaccessible.

Soon, all was ready and my final creation took shape. This creation walked on its hind legs, as some Pokemon species did already, but its young would start life virtually immobile and would go through a period of moving on all fours before achieving the two-legged gait it was designed for. It was almost completely hairless and it lacked any sharp claws or fangs such as those possessed by certain kinds of Pokemon, though the intellect I had given it would enable it to devise ways to overcome its limitations. For example, if it wanted to make a fire and there were no Fire Type Pokemon around, it would be able to work out a means of starting a fire by itself. All it would take was the correct tools and the knowledge of how to use them.

I had created the first humans. And, for better or for worse, they would be in charge of their own destiny. I would try to guide them along the right path, but whether they chose to follow it or not was up to them. All I could do was hope that enough of them would.


	48. Childhood

**Childhood**

It all happened many years ago when I was still a Togepi. I'm now a fully evolved Togekiss, but back then I was still a cute little Pokemon wearing a colourful eggshell. I travelled with a girl called Daisy who was a travelling Pokemon trainer and I was good friends with her other Pokemon. When I first knew her, she had a Petilil and a Meowth, both of whom have since evolved, and we often played together. I vaguely knew that Daisy was training for something called the "Pokemon League", but that meant little to me. I was just an infant and, like all infants, all I cared about was being safe and secure.

And Daisy made me feel safe and secure. She was like a mother to me and, for a long time, I thought she _was_ my mother. It was only later that I learned the truth, that Daisy was the first thing I saw when I hatched out of my egg and that, because of this, I had imprinted on her. Not that it made any difference; I never knew my real mother, though I suppose I would have imprinted on her had she been the first thing I saw. Instead, I imprinted on a human girl named Daisy.

Anyway, we travelled together: Daisy, myself, Petilil and Meowth. Like all youngsters, I loved to explore and I was filled with wonder at everything I saw. And, like all youngsters, I often let my curiosity get the better of me and landed myself in trouble. As happened the day I saw the pink thing in the grass . . .

* * *

It was a warm spring day and we were travelling across a beautiful meadow carpeted with colourful flowers. As usual, I was riding on Daisy's shoulder and Petilil and Meowth were in their Poke Balls. Suddenly, I saw something in the grass, something pink - and it seemed to be moving. Curious to see what it was, I hopped down off Daisy's shoulder and toddled after it, hoping it might be another Pokemon I could play with. I heard Daisy calling after me to come back, but for once I didn't pay any attention; all I cared about was the pink thing in the grass.

I was so intent on catching up with the pink thing that I paid no attention to where I was going. Before I knew it, I was completely lost and I began to panic, terrified of finding myself alone for the first time in my life. "Daisy!" I called, though she would hear it as a high-pitched "toki!" But I knew she would understand what I was trying to say; it was my special cry for when I wanted her. And I certainly wanted her right now. She was the one who looked after me and protected me; I had never been apart from her in my life until now.

But she didn't come, so I called again. "Daisy! Where are you? I'm lost and frightened!" But the only response I got was a rather grumpy Raticate coming out of his den and yelling at me for disturbing him.

"Keep it down, will you? I'm trying to have my afternoon nap!"

I backed away, terrified; I'd never been spoken to like that before and I thought the Raticate was going to bite me with his sharp teeth if I didn't get moving. If only Daisy would come, she could protect me from that mean-tempered rat. I couldn't protect myself since I had not yet learned any Attacks apart from Metronome and that could be rather hit-and-miss. You simply never know what's going to happen when you start waving your arms back and forth.

Admittedly, you can generate some cool Attacks with Metronome that you wouldn't normally be able to use. But there's no way of controlling which Attack you end up doing, so you could just as easily generate something which is totally useless against the opponent you're fighting. Young as I was at the time, I already knew this.

* * *

Anyway, I got away from the grumpy Raticate as quickly as I could and looked around to see if I could see Daisy. I couldn't, but I could see the pink thing that had attracted my attention earlier. Still curious about it, I began to follow it again, wondering all the while what it was.

Of course, I now know what it was that I had seen. Back then, however, I was at an age when the world seemed so big and exciting, full of new things to discover. That pink thing in the grass intrigued me and I wanted to get closer to it and find out what it was. Perhaps it was a Pokemon - I had seen some Pokemon that were pink - and I would be able to play with it. It might even be able to help me get back to Daisy; after my earlier scare with the Raticate, all I wanted was to see her again, the girl who looked after me and protected me. My surrogate mother . . .

I don't know how long I followed the pink thing for. All I know is that I suddenly realised the sun was going down and there was still no sign of Daisy. This made me panic even more than I had when I first realised I was lost; Daisy always sang me a lullaby and I couldn't sleep without it. I sat down by a rock, whimpering and alone, wishing the girl I loved as I would a mother would come and pick me up. And, then, my lip started trembling and I began to cry.

As I sat there, wailing my head off and vainly calling for Daisy between sobs, I heard a movement behind me. I turned and, through tear-filled eyes, I saw a small pink Pokemon standing there looking at me. This Pokemon looked kind of like a smaller version of Chansey and it was holding a round stone out to me. A Happiny, the pre-evolved form of Chansey . . .

"Please don't cry," said the Happiny. "Look, I'll share my egg with you."

Of course, it wasn't really an egg, just a stone shaped like a egg, but I took it anyway and pretended to eat it. "Thanks," I said, smiling at the Happiny.

"Why were you crying?" she asked me, looking at me closely.

"Because I can't find Daisy!" I almost began to cry again but managed to stop myself. "Daisy's my human mummy," I explained when I saw Happiny looking at me curiously. And I told her everything that had happened.

* * *

When I had finished, Happiny looked at me. "I can help you," she said. "My mummy works at the nearest Pokemon Centre and that's where Daisy probably is."

I let out a "bree" of delight, a sound which can't be translated into human speech, although "hooray!" probably comes closest. I was so happy to hear that I might get to see Daisy again after all that I kicked my legs in excitement and leapt up. "Let's go!" I cried, tugging at Happiny's hand. "I wanna see Daisy! C'mon!" And I began to waddle - Togepis aren't really designed for running - in a direction I hoped would lead me back to Daisy. But I had not gone far before Happiny called me back.

"Not that way! Let me show you." She started walking in a completely different direction and, having no reason not to trust her, I started to follow her. Then, as we made our way across the meadow, I saw it again: the pink thing that had caught my attention earlier and caused me to get lost in the first place. I still did not know what it was, only that it was not Happiny.

"Look!" I called, pointing in the direction of the pink thing. "It's that thing I saw earlier!"

Happiny looked in the direction I was pointing. "It looks like a Snubbull," she told me.

"A Snubbull?" There were still many Pokemon I had never heard of; that was why I had been so curious when I saw the pink thing in the grass. Now, that pink thing had a name, Snubbull, but I was still none the wiser. Was a Snubbull a kind of Pokemon? If so, what kind was it?

Happiny explained; I guess, because her mother worked in a Pokemon Centre, she had learned all sorts of things about Pokemon. "They're Pokemon," she said, confirming what I had wanted to know. "You don't see many of them about usually, but sometimes a whole lot of them appear round here." At last, my curiosity about the pink thing was satisfied, except I did want to take a closer look at the Snubbull as I now knew it was called. But my desire to see Daisy again was stronger, so I chose to follow Happiny instead.

We reached the Pokemon Centre just as it was getting dark. I could see Daisy standing at the entrance, looking around anxiously for something which I instinctively knew was me. I gave a big smile and toddled towards her, as she bent down and scooped me up in her arms, telling me how worried she had been and asking me if I was all right. I started to tell her about the Snubbull, even though she couldn't understand me. But I did manage to make her understand that it was Happiny who had shown me the way back to her.

But it didn't matter that I couldn't tell her about my little adventure. I was just happy that it was over and that I would soon be sleeping beside her in a warm bed.


	49. Stripes

**Stripes**

"I choose you, Stripes!"

Those four words greeted my emergence from the Poke Ball and into the arena, where the entire school was gathered to see the battle. I turned to see my trainer, David, looking at me encouragingly, then turned my attention to my opponent. She was a fair-haired girl dressed in a white t-shirt and a pink mini skirt, the sort you expect to use cute Pokemon like Wigglytuff or Audino, though I couldn't be certain as she was not in any of David's classes and they had never battled each other before. I watched as she pulled a Poke Ball out of her bag and prepared to throw it.

"All right! Let's go!" And, with that, she sent the Poke Ball spinning through the air, but did not say what was in it. The Pokemon quickly took shape, revealing a large green dragonfly with two pairs of wings and three spikes on its head and thorax. A Yanmega, I realised, and a pretty tough-looking one at that, hardly the cute Pokemon I had expected. It made me wonder what else this girl had in her Poke Balls, but I did not have long to think about it because Mr Lawson, the Battle Techniques instructor, was speaking to the assembled students.

"The next battle will be David's Zebstrika versus Jenna's Yanmega!" He raised his arms and snapped them back down again quickly. "Begin!"

* * *

"Yanmega! Double Team!" called Jenna.

I guessed why she was opening with that move. As a Bug/Flying Pokemon, a Yanmega is weak against Electric Attacks such as mine, so Jenna's best chance would be to stall me out by using an evasive move, then wait for me to get tired before she went on the offensive. It was a technique I'd seen many times since David and I arrived at the Academy back when I was a Blitzle and he was an aspiring Pokemon trainer. But his parents would not allow him to just go out and collect Gym Badges; they had insisted he learn the basics of Pokemon battles in a controlled environment and packed him off to the nearest Pokemon Academy. If he completed the year successfully, he would be allowed to go on a Pokemon journey.

Anyway, Jenna's Yanmega used Double Team, a move which caused copies of it to start appearing until it seemed that, whichever way I turned, there was a Yanmega looking at me. "Stay strong, Stripes," David urged me, using the nickname he had given me. "Remember, only one of them is real - you've got to find it."

Of course, I knew this already; it was one of the first things I'd learnt about fighting an opponent which knew Double Team. But, when it seems that you're surrounded by Pokemon, outnumbered by at least three to one, it's easy to forget these things. I quickly pulled myself together; this was David's final exam and he had to win two out of three one-on-one battles to receive a passing grade. Earlier, his Growlithe had beaten a Tranquill, but his Makuhita had then lost against a Nidoking. It was now up to me. This would be the deciding battle.

"Try a Thunderbolt!" David ordered. In response, I charged up the electricity within my body and fired a bolt of lightning at the nearest Yanmega. It disappeared instantly and I knew it must have been one of the Double Team decoys. I tried twice more, hitting one of the fakes each time.

From across the arena, Jenna laughed. "Yanmega's just getting started!" she called. "We don't give up easily. Yanmega, Ancient Power!"

* * *

Ancient Power, the move every Yanma must know before it can evolve into Yanmega. As I watched, the Yanmega clones merged back into the real Yanmega and rocks suddenly appeared in the air above the giant dragonfly. "Stripes, dodge those rocks!" David ordered. And, as the rocks came flying towards me, I called on all my speed and agility to get out of the way, moving so fast that I became a black-and-white striped blur. Jenna's Yanmega turned this way and that, trying to keep up with my movements, but I was moving so fast that it only succeeded in dizzying itself.

"Stripes, Shock Wave!"

In response to David's command, I charged up the electricity in my body, then released it in one huge wave. The Yanmega was at close range; surely this would score a critical hit. But, instead of hitting their target, the waves hit an invisible wall which had suddenly appeared in front of the Yanmega. Across the arena, Jenna was laughing again.

"Like I said before, we don't give up easily!" she called across. "Yanmega just used Protect to avoid your Zebstrika's electricity. And now," she added, turning to her Pokemon, "use SolarBeam!"

The Yanmega's body glowed as it began to absorb the light of the sun, preparing to release it as a concentrated beam of light. SolarBeam is one of the most power Grass Type moves, capable of inflicting massive damage, as I'd learned earlier in the year when a Gloom's SolarBeam landed me in the school's Pokemon Centre. Now, in David's Battle Techniques practical, I was facing the same move. One of the disadvantages of SolarBeam is that, unless Sunny Day is in effect, it takes time to absorb enough sunlight, not that that's much comfort when you've just been hit by it.

"Stripes, Charge Beam!" David ordered, just as Jenna's Yanmega finished charging its SolarBeam.

As the Yanmega fired the powerful beam of sunlight, I shot a beam of my own from my forehead, a beam crackling with electricity. The two beams collided in the middle of the arena, producing a small explosion, but neither the Yanmega nor I were hit and the battle continued. This went on for several more rounds - Jenna had obviously trained her Yanmega well - before I finally nailed the Bug Pokemon with another Thunderbolt. Unlike the one I had used while the Yanmega was using Double Team, this Thunderbolt hit home and sent the dragonfly plummeting to the ground.

Mr Lawson looked down at the fallen Bug Pokemon. "Yanmega is unable to battle!" he announced. "The winner is David's Zebstrika!"

* * *

As David patted my neck to congratulate me, Jenna, her Yanmega now back in its Poke Ball, walked up to him. "Hey," she said. "Good match. Your Zebstrika's really strong."

"Your Yanmega's good too - you've done a good job training it. I mean, I should have had the advantage in that battle, but you just kept going."

Jenna laughed. "Well, Yanmega's no quitter and neither am I . . ." She paused for a moment, then added: "But I think I've learned enough here already, so I'm thinking of going on a Pokemon journey next year. You know, challenge the Gym Leaders and everything."

"So am I," David told her. "That is, if I pass my exams." As he spoke, he rummaged in his pocket and pulled out my Poke Ball. The last thing I heard before I was drawn into the Ball was Jenna assuring David that she was sure he had done fine and asking if they could have a rematch sometime.

* * *

As it turned out, David passed all his exams except Evolution theory, which he just failed by a couple of points. But, since he'd passed everything else, his parents agreed to let him go on a Pokemon journey and, before I knew it, I was standing with him on the outskirts of his home town as he prepared to set out into the world. I wondered what sort of challenges awaited us, what kind of Pokemon we might encounter . . . Of course, unlike most trainers setting off on a Pokemon journey, David had plenty of battle experience already, thanks to the year he had just spent at the Pokemon Academy. In theory, that should give him a head start over rookie trainers just starting out with their first Charmander, or Totodile, or whatever.

David turned to me. "Ready to go, Stripes?"


	50. Breaking The Rules

**Breaking The Rules**

Rules, according to my trainer, are made to be broken and I'm generally the Pokemon who helps him do it. In the two years Stephen and I have been at the Pokemon Academy, we've been involved in all kinds of escapades, but we've never been caught. That's the one rule we're careful never to break; no matter what, we must be careful to avoid detection, to avoid been caught in the act of doing something illicit.

I'm a Rattata, though I think I'm going to evolve into a Raticate soon, a purple rat-like Pokemon with chisel-like front teeth. I'm small and quick, which is why Stephen finds me so useful when it comes to his bouts of rule-breaking. He says no-one will suspect anything if they see a Rattata wandering around in the areas where students are not allowed and, even if they do, I can use my Agility to avoid being caught. So far, however, Stephen has not done anything major, unlike a couple of boys who were caught using their Elgyem and Dusclops to smuggle alcohol into the school and got themselves excluded from extra-curricular activities for the rest of the term.

Now, though, Stephen is about to engage in his biggest piece of rule-breaking yet. It doesn't involve illicit booze, or cigarettes, or even a secret stash of sweets destined to be eaten at a midnight feast. Oh no, Stephen is going to use me to steal the answer sheet for next week's big test and use it as a "revision aid", albeit one which will tell him in advance what the answers to the questions will be. In short, Stephen is going to cheat.

* * *

Stephen has planned the whole thing carefully. He's going to deliberately set off the fire alarms, then, while everyone is rushing outside, he's going to release me into the ventilation system. From there, I'm going to sneak into the Principal's office and steal the keys to the filing cabinet where all the answer sheets are kept. I will then return to Stephen (with the keys) and he will wait until later tonight before sneaking down to the office, stealing the answer sheet and returning the keys. Of course, it would be easier if he could do it right after I bring the keys to him, but he wouldn't be allowed to get back into the building with a fire alarm on; he may like breaking rules, but even he isn't that stupid.

Anyway, I'm perched on Stephen's shoulder as he checks the corridor to see if anyone is about. "Good, the coast's clear," he whispers, walking over to the nearest fire alarm point. It only taken him a couple of seconds to punch the big red button which he tells me is marked _Emergency Use Only_ - not that I can read. In any case, the whole building is now filled with the clanging of bells, which echo down every corridor. Already, classroom doors are opening and kids and their teachers are beginning to emerge. And, in case you were wondering why Stephen and I aren't in class, we are currently on a Free Period.

"Keep together!"

"Walk - don't run!"

"Follow me in single file!"

I can hear the teachers giving instructions to the kids in their classes as they lead them outside to the fire assembly points. But Stephen does not follow them; instead, he waits until the crowds have thinned out a little before heading in the opposite direction. I ride on his shoulder as he hurries to the nearest air duct and shoves me inside. He's only just in time; one of the teachers is coming down the corridor, looking for stragglers.

"Hey!" she shouts. "Didn't you hear the alarm?"

* * *

Thankfully, she hasn't spotted me. I wait until she and Stephen are out of sight before scurrying off like . . . well, a Rattata in a maze. Thanks to my acute sense of smell - and the fact that I have been in this maze many times before - I soon find my way to the Principal's office, where there is another vent set high in the wall. This vent is covered with a mesh grille, but my sharp front teeth quickly make a hole large enough for me to squeeze through. I jump down from the grille and into the office.

I land on the Principal's desk, knocking over her coffee mug in the process. Now, I only have a few moments to find her keys, swipe them and get back to Stephen. The first two steps are easy; I can see the keys on the desk, half-hidden under a pile of paperwork. I hurry across the desk and pull the keys out from under the papers, which end up all over the floor. Holding the keys in my mouth, I drag them over to the vent.

Getting back into the vent is harder than getting out; I now have the Principal's keys and they weigh me down somewhat. Nonetheless, I have to get out of here before she catches me, so, taking a running jump, I scramble into the vent and scurry away, heading for the vent nearest to Stephen's dorm. Now, it's just a question of delivering the keys and Step One of Operation Answer Sheet will be completed. But I've got to be careful not to get caught with the keys because, if a student is found to be using their Pokemon to help them break the rules, both the student and the Pokemon get punished.

Of course, there is the risk of the Principal noticing that her keys are missing, but I can't help that. All I can do is hope that, if she does notice, she thinks she had merely misplaced them.

* * *

It's late at night and Stephen and I are tiptoeing through the deserted school. So far, everything is going according to plan and no-one has noticed the missing keys. Or, if they have, they don't suspect that Stephen is involved, but, then again, who would suspect him? Everyone thinks he's . . . Well, not a model student, but, in the two years he's been here, he's never received anything worse than a demerit for being late for class one day. And he means to keep it that way. Like I said earlier, there is one rule Stephen will not break - never get caught.

We reach the Principal's office without incident and Stephen tells me to keep watch while he unlocks the cabinet and steals the answer sheet. Once he's done that, he plans to take it up to his dorm and copy the answers into his notebook. Instant revision notes, all covering stuff which is 100% guaranteed to come up in next week's test. Then, he will return the answer sheet to the cabinet and spend the next few days "studying" for the test. Piece of cake . . .

But, just as Stephen emerges from the office, with the stolen answer sheet in his dressing gown pocket and a triumphant grin on his face, the worst thing possible happens. One of the school prefects, older students who, among other things, have to patrol the corridors to make sure no-one leaves their dorms after hours, appears on the scene. This one is a burly teenaged boy, who looks like he will not stand for any nonsense. "Oi!" he shouts the moment he sees Stephen. "What are you doing here at this hour?"

Stephen does not reply. He scoops me onto his shoulder and attempts to make a run for it, but we do not get far before the prefect calls out an Ariados and tells it to use Spider Web. The red Bug Pokemon shoots out a sticky net, which stretches across the corridor and, needless to say, Stephen runs right into it. As the prefect hurries off to fetch the Principal, I realise there is no way Stephen is going to get away with this. Leaving his dorm after hours is bad enough, but add to that the fact that he has stolen the answer sheet for next week's test and he is in _big_ trouble.

"Oh, crap!" mutters Stephen.

I couldn't have put it better myself.

* * *

Needless to say, the Principal is not happy. The first thing she does is make Stephen turn out his pockets and that, needless to say, means the stolen answer sheet is discovered straight away. "Young man, explain yourself," she says, waving the offending paper in Stephen's face. "This is the answer key for next week's test - it is for the teachers' eyes only. How did it come to be in your pocket? And I want the truth."

Stephen looks down at his feet. I can tell he knows the game is up; he has been caught red-handed, caught with a forbidden item in his pocket. No matter what he says, he will be in trouble and, to make matters worse, when the Principal says she wants the truth, she means it. Besides, even if Stephen were to lie and say someone planted the answer sheet on him, the fact remains that he was caught outside her office. So he has no option but to confess to everything, including the fact that he was the one who set the fire alarm off.

"I'm afraid this is very serious," the Principal says when he has finished speaking. "Deliberately causing a false alarm, stealing from my office, attempted cheating _and_ using your Pokemon to help you break the rules . . ." She pauses to decide on Stephen's punishment. "Detention every night for two weeks and fifty demerits. And you may consider your Rattata confiscated for the duration of your punishment."

Never get caught. Now, Stephen has broken even that rule and, as a result, he now has fifty demerits, plus two weeks' worth of detentions. And I'm facing the same amount of time confined to a cage.


	51. Sport

**Sport**

"Well, Blaziken, this is it."

I stood beside Ian as we gazed up at the vast Pokeathlon Dome, the place where Pokeathletes and their Pokemon compete in a variety of sporting contests. A Pokeathlete, for those who don't know is a Pokemon trainer who trains his or her Pokemon to compete in these contests; as such, their training methods tend to focus less on teaching their Pokemon moves that will be of use in battle and more on boosting the abilities they will need in each event.

Ian has taught me some battle moves, so I can spar with the best of them if I have to. It's just that he had no interest in collecting Gym Badges and he thought that, if he went down the Co-ordinator route, people would think he was . . . fond of other boys, if you know what I mean. Anyway, he still wanted to be involved with Pokemon in some way, so he took me (then a Torchic) and set out on a journey which took him all over the Hoenn region. He caught other Pokemon along the way, but, as time passed, he began to realise that something was missing. His Pokemon journey had no goal; he was just wandering around at random.

It was just after I evolved into a Combusken that we met them. The man from Johto and his Nidoking . . .

* * *

We were heading for Mossdeep City, where Ian planned to check out the Space Centre, the place where Hoenn launches rockets (manned and unmanned) into space. No launches were planned for that day, but we would still be able to have a look round and maybe pick up a few souvenirs. It's a popular tourist spot and many trainers who go to challenge the local Gym Leaders also pay the Space Centre a visit. Ian wasn't interested in battling Gym Leaders, but he had read a pamphlet at the Pokemon Centre in Lilycove City and thought the Space Centre might be worth a visit.

While we were on the ferry from Lilycove to Mossdeep, a man with a Nidoking at his side approached us.

"Hey, kid," he said to Ian. "Cool Combusken - you got any Badges? I hear the Gym Leaders here are pretty tough." I noticed straight away that he spoke with a slight accent which sounded different than the way people in Hoenn spoke.

Ian shook his head. "No, I'm just travelling with my Pokemon. I don't need Badges to tell me how good a trainer I am."

"Nor do I. I mean, I raised Dino here . . ." The man gestured towards his Nidoking. " . . . from a Nidoran, so I must be doing something right." I didn't pay attention to the rest of the conversation he and Ian had, so I didn't catch his name. But then . . . "Have you heard of the Pokeathlon?"

"Pokeathlon?" echoed Ian. "What's that?"

"A Pokemon sporting contest. They have them in Johto - that's where I come from. Pokemon compete in different events to earn their trainers Athlete Points and the one who gets the most wins. Perhaps you'd like to check it out if you're ever in my neck of the woods."

The man handed Ian a leaflet which explained about the Pokeathlon and the events in which Pokemon could compete, then left with his Nidoking. Ian sat down and began to read the leaflet, as I stood beside him, thinking. Perhaps, even if Ian wasn't interested in Gym Battles or Contests, he would decide the Pokeathlon was something he and his Pokemon could pursue. And it would give his travels a goal, something to focus on.

* * *

Over the next few months, Ian, his other Pokemon and I began training for the Pokeathlon. I ran laps with his Raichu and Weavile, practiced my jumping with his Grumpig, wrestled with his Rhydon and Primeape. The aim was to prepare me for the events in which I would be competing when we made the trip to Johto and entered the Pokeathlon. The Pokeathlon, a festival of sport for Pokemon - this was the goal on which Ian chose to focus. And, I vowed, I would compete in each event to the best of my ability.

By the time Ian had saved up enough money to go to Johto, I had evolved into a Blaziken. And it was as a Blaziken that I boarded the ferry which took us to the port in Olivine City, a large coastal city famous for its lighthouse; Ian and I climbed to the top and met the Ampharos who acts as a beacon to passing ships. But we were not in Johto to see the sites, so we quickly set off on the road which led to the Pokeathlon Dome, a vast sporting arena just outside Goldenrod City.

Now, we (Ian doesn't keep me in a Poke Ball, in case you were wondering) stood gazing up at the Dome in front of us. I felt my heart pounding with excitement; inside, Pokemon were competing in various events and I would soon be competing alongside them. I stood tall and proud, then followed Ian into the building.

Inside, there was a reception desk with a screen behind it, showing the events currently taking place inside the Dome. Right now, it showed several Pokemon racing and jumping hurdles; as I watched, one of them, a Sunflora, mistimed her jump and went crashing into one of the hurdles. "Whoa! That's cost Macey's Sunflora time!" I heard the commentator say, as the Sunflora picked herself up and carried on with the race.

Ian walked over to the reception area and spoke to the woman behind the desk, who told him about the five different Courses available - Speed, Power, Jump, Stamina and Skill. She then explained a little about the events which took place in each Course and how they were designed to test a Pokemon's abilities. "Which would you like to try?" she asked.

Ian thought for a moment. "I'll try the Speed Course."

"And which three Pokemon will you be using?"

"Blaziken," Ian said, turning to me, "Raichu and Weavile." As the three fastest Pokemon on his team, we were the ones most likely to do well in the events featured in the Speed Course. Ian let Raichu and Weavile out of their Poke Balls and, leaving his other Pokemon at the reception desk, made his way out onto the track, as Raichu, Weavile and I followed.

* * *

After the competitors and their Pokemon had been introduced, the events got under way. First up was a hurdle race like the one which had been playing on the screen when Ian and I first entered the Dome. I proved to be a natural at this; a Blaziken has very powerful legs, which are excellent for running and jumping. And running and jumping is exactly what I did, clearing those hurdles as though they weren't even there. I paid no attention to the other Pokemon on the track, not even my own team mates, keeping my mind entirely focused on jumping over the hurdles. And, at the end of the event, I learned that I had achieved the fastest time. I'm not boasting; it's simply a fact.

Next came a game called Pennant Capture, in which the Pokemon had to race round trying to grab the most pennants within the time limit. Only one Pokemon from each team was allowed on the field at once and, every time the number of pennants you'd grabbed reached nine, you had to go back to the start and swap with a team mate. It was funny to see some of the Pokemon struggling with their pennants. Those who walked on two legs, like Raichu, Weavile and myself, could carry them in their hands, but the others had to drag them in their mouths. At one point, I saw a Ponyta attempted to drag three pennants at once and laughed so hard I nearly dropped the pennants I was holding.

Finally, we had to run a relay race around a track while trying to avoid the obstacles that had been placed there to slow us down. There was no finish line in this race; the aim was for each Pokeathlete's Pokemon to complete as many laps as possible in a set time. Of course, since this was a relay race, the Pokemon weren't all running at the same time, but would swap with their team mates every so often. By the time the buzzer went to signal that time was up, Raichu, Weavile and I had completed eight laps between us and Raichu was about halfway through the ninth.

After the events were over, we, meaning the Pokeathletes and their Pokemon assembled for the results. Our scores for each event were announced, along with any bonus points any Pokemon had picked up; I actually got a bonus for my speed during the Hurdle Dash event. But it wasn't enough to secure victory for Ian, who came second behind Katelyn; she was the girl with the Ponyta and she also had a Sableye and a Scyther. Not that Ian minded; he just said he was going to try again and, even though he'd lost, he knew one important thing.

When it comes to sport, winning isn't the be all and end all. It's also important to enjoy taking part.


	52. Deep In Thought

**Deep In Thought**

Often, when I want to be alone with my thoughts, I fly up onto a crag which is so high no human could scale it and even most Flying Pokemon would have difficulties following me. I sit up here, contemplating the world around me and everything that has happened in my long life. As a Dragonite, I have a life expectancy much longer than a human's; indeed, some of my kind have lived for over a thousand years, or so I've heard. I myself have lived for nearly three-hundred years and I've gained much wisdom in that time.

While I am on my crag, I have the solitude I need to concentrate on my thoughts; there is no-one to distract me. Don't get me wrong - I don't mind company - but there are times when a Pokemon needs to be alone to think about things. And, as a Dragonite that has lived for two-hundred-and-ninety-odd years, I have a great deal to think about, to contemplate.

The subject of humans is one that often occupies my thoughts. We Dragon Pokemon are a proud and noble breed and we will not give our loyalty to those we deem unworthy. However, to those lucky few, we are the most dependable friends they can have, as well as being some of the strongest Pokemon, other than the Legendaries, in existence. Unfortunately, not all humans share our nobility; there are those who will try to catch us for personal gain or simply to claim bragging rights for having caught a rare Pokemon.

And, when I was a Dratini, I had the misfortune to encounter one such human.

* * *

As I sit on my crag, gazing out over the mountains, my thoughts turn to that day, the day I encountered the net.

I was swimming in the lake I called my home, not thinking about anything in particular but idly wondering what I might find if I swam up the river which led into the lake. Suddenly, I found that I could not swim any further; there was something, a net, in the way. I instinctively tried to swim backwards, away from the net, but, before I could do so, I felt it closing in around me. The next thing I knew, I was being lifted out of the lake and into the world I had previously only glimpsed on the occasions when I rose to the surface for a few moments.

As I was lifted clear of the lake, I saw for the first time the one who had trapped me, a scrawny man with white-blond hair and a long, pointed nose. He was looking at me with an expression of utter triumph on his face. "Finally!" he cried, rubbing his hands together with glee. "The elusive Dratini! Giovanni will pay good money for this!" It took me a moment to figure out what he meant, but, then, I remembered. Giovanni was a name I'd heard before, from an Octillery who'd managed to escape from something called Team Rocket. I did not know what that meant, but I could sense it was something bad.

I had to escape. I powered up a Thunderbolt, hoping to break free of the net, but it didn't work. Clearly, I realised, this guy remembered that Dragon Pokemon can learn Electric Attacks and had taken precautions. But had he also remembered what other kinds of Attack we have in our arsenals? Could the net stand up to, say, a Fire Attack? One Flamethrower later, I received my answer.

"You're wasting your time," the guy who'd caught me said, grinning evilly. "That net can withstand any sort of Attack you can throw at it. So you might as well give up now." He looked at me for a moment, then added: "I'll get a nice, fat bonus when I bring you in!" And, laughing, he picked me up and put me on what I later learned was called a motorbike and side-car; I was in the side-car and he climbed aboard the main bike, which quickly roared into life and took me away from the lake that had been my home.

* * *

As the bike took me further and further from the lake, my thoughts turned to one thing. How was I going to escape from here? I could tell this guy's intentions were not good, that he only wanted to use me to get that "bonus" he'd mentioned, that he was not the sort of person to whom I, as a Dragon Pokemon, could give loyalty. Pokemon can sense when someone has bad intentions; it's a kind of sixth sense, which is augmented in those that can learn Psychic. I couldn't, but I could still sense that the guy who had caught me was bad. I had to escape from him. But how? I already knew I couldn't break out of the net.

Or could I? As my captor continued on his way, with me as a very reluctant passenger, a thought suddenly occurred to me. I'd only used one Attack at a time when I was trying to get out of the net earlier, but maybe if I used several Attacks at once . . . It was risky; I'd never used more than one Attack at a time and I had no way of knowing if it would work. But, since the alternative seemed to be captivity at the hands of someone I could sense wanted to exploit me for financial gain, I had little choice. I started with Aqua Tail, a move which enabled me to spray a jet of water from the tip of my tail, before following through with Thunderbolt, one of the moves that had failed to break me out of the net earlier. This time, however, I had a plan. I was counting on one of the most fundamental facts of life - that water conducts electricity.

Sure enough, when combined with Aqua Tail, my Thunderbolt was powerful enough to break the mesh of the net. Within moments, I was free and I decided I was going to teach the guy who'd caught me a lesson. I was going to teach him not to mess with Dragon Pokemon. He seemed surprised that I'd managed to escape, but he quickly got over it and made a grab for a red-and-white ball at his belt; I did not know what that ball was for, but I knew I had to stop him from using it. I launched into a powerful Dragon Rage, summoning a tornado and sending it in the direction of the human who'd tried to capture me. Caught in the middle of the storm, he went flying through the air and disappeared from view, yelling something about "blasting off again" as he did so.

Suddenly, I felt a strange sensation come over me, a sensation like nothing I'd ever felt before. It was as if I was glowing and, at the same time, changing form, my body becoming longer, my scales changing to a deeper shade of blue. Two blue orbs appeared on the tip of my tail, while a third appeared at my throat. And my ears became long and feather, making ideal wings, wings with which I could fly far away from here and find the solitude I needed to be alone with my thoughts.

I had evolved into a Dragonair.

* * *

In my new form, I flew high over the land until I found a range of mountains which looked as though it should deter all but the most determined humans. That was where I made my home and it is also the place where I evolved into the Dragonite I am today. I never saw the guy who tried to capture me again and, since a human lifespan is so much shorter than my own, I never will. Unless Celebi were to appear and take me back in time, but I try to avoid thinking about him as much as possible. He wanted to exploit me and did not understand that Dragon Pokemon - well, all Pokemon really - should be treated with respect.

Instead, I spend my time sitting on my crag, easily the highest point in the land. From here, I can see in all directions; on a clear day, I can even see out to sea and I sometimes catch glimpses of Lapras colonies swimming on the surface. On occasion, I have even flown down and spoken with them, but I have never been tempted by their offers to make a life for myself out in the open ocean. These mountains are my home and I intend to make sure they remain my home for as long as I live. Which could be another seven-hundred years or more . . .

If you happen to be within sight of these mountains at sunset, take a look at the highest point you can see. If you're lucky, you might see the outline of a Dragonite silhouetted against the setting sun. That will be me, perched on my crag, deep in thought.


	53. Keeping A Secret

**Keeping A Secret**

If there's one thing I'm particularly bad at, it's keeping secrets . . . well, secret. Everytime one of my fellow Pokemon tells me something, I get an overwhelming urge to spread it all over the forest. No matter what the information is, or which Pokemon it concerns, I can't seem to keep my beak shut. And this has led to a popular saying among the other Pokemon. "If you want to keep something secret, don't tell Chatot." So they don't - in fact, there are those who won't share any gossip with me at all, in case I start spreading it around the forest.

One day, I was flying around when I chanced upon two other Pokemon chatting on a fallen log. They were a Minccino and a Rattata; I knew these two fairly well and considered them friends, though, of course, they would not tell me any of their secrets because they knew I would only broadcast it throughout the forest faster than you can say "Pokemon". Anyway, I saw them and managed to catch a little of their conversation.

"Is it true?" asked Rattata.

"Yes," replied Minccino. "Yes, it is."

I was itching to find out what they were talking about and flew down closer to them. But, needless to say, they stopped talking the second they saw me. I suppose I should be used to it by now, but I couldn't help feeling a little hurt. These Pokemon were supposed to be my friends, but they didn't trust me to keep things to myself. If only there was a way I could prove that I could. I cleared my throat and said: "Excuse me, but what were you talking about?"

"Something that's supposed to be a secret," replied Minccino. "So we're not telling you."

"Well, what if I promised not to tell anyone else?"

They looked at me for a moment, then Minccino spoke again. "I wish I could believe you," she said. "But you know you can't keep a secret. Remember when you told everyone about that stash of Oran Berries I had hidden away? Or when you let slip about that surprise party I'd planned for my mate?"

I looked down at my talons, remembering the time Minccino had planned to give her mate a surprise party to celebrate the anniversary of them becoming mates. It was supposed to be a secret, but of course I couldn't keep my beak shut and her mate ended up finding out. As a result, the surprise was ruined and neither Minccino nor her mate would speak to me for days afterwards.

* * *

"What if . . ." I said, itching to hear what Rattata and Minccino had been talking about. "What if I promised this time would be different?" I didn't know if they would buy it, especially Minccino after the surprise party fiasco, but I really wanted to prove that I could keep a secret. I know I have a habit of spreading gossip all over the forest, but a Pokemon can change, can't they? If only Rattata and Minccino would give me a chance . . .

They looked at me doubtfully for a while, before Rattata spoke. "I think we should give Chatot a chance," he said. "We tell him the secret and, if it's still a secret by the end of the day, we'll do whatever he tells us tomorrow. That OK with you?"

Minccino still looked doubtful; well, I did spoil her mate's surprise party. I suppose I couldn't blame her for not trusting me with any more secrets after that. Not many Pokemon are willing to risk having me spread everything they tell me all over the forest. I can't seem to help myself; the moment I hear a particularly juicy piece of gossip, I just have to tell someone. Even if that "someone" happens to be every Pokemon in the forest.

"All right," Minccino finally conceded. "But, if Chatot fails to keep the secret, _he_ has to do what _we_ tell him. After all, it's only fair." She did not add that she didn't think I would be able to do it, but the implication was there. And that made me all the more determined to prove that I could keep my beak shut, that I was not an incurable gossip who couldn't be trusted not to go spreading everything I heard all over the forest.

I nodded and held out my wing, as Minccino and Rattata did likewise with their paws. "It is agreed," Rattata said. "Chatot, you must keep our secret for the rest of the day. Should you fail, you will have to do as we tell you all day tomorrow." And, with that, I leaned down so that I was level with him and listened as he whispered the secret into my ear. I listened with fascination; it sounded like the sort of thing I would normally pass on to as many Pokemon as possible. But I couldn't do that this time. No matter how tempting, I could not tell another soul what Rattata had just told me.

* * *

A couple of hours later, I was beginning to realise how hard it was to keep a secret. Every time I opened my beak, I felt an overwhelming urged to shout out what Rattata had whispered in my ear. It was exactly the sort of thing which, thanks largely to me, tended to get spread all over the forest. But not this time; no matter what, I had to keep my beak shut. Only if I succeeded in keeping the secret for the rest of the day would I be able to prove that I could refrain from spreading gossip.

But I'd been in the habit of telling everyone's secrets for so long that it was hard to break the habit. I was itching to tell somebody - anybody - but I'd promised Rattata and Minccino that I wouldn't. I could tell neither of them thought I could do it, that I would revert to my old habits sooner or later, and that made me all the more determined to see this through until the end. I had to see this through; I had promised Minccino and Rattata that I would keep their secret, but it was harder than I thought it would be. I'd thought that all I had to do was keep my beak shut for a few hours and it was taking every bit of willpower I had to do it.

"I can keep a secret," I told myself over and over. "I can keep a secret. I can keep a secret." But saying it and actually doing it were two completely different things, especially when it was such a juicy piece of gossip. I hardly dared speak to any of the other Pokemon in the forest all day, fearing I might repeat what Rattata had told me, thereby breaking the deal I had made with him and Minccino. Only if I managed to keep the secret until the end of the day would I have proved I could refrain from blabbing other Pokemon's private information, but it was proving a lot harder than I had thought it would.

In the end, I could stand it no longer. Even if I couldn't tell any of the other Pokemon, I wanted to at least repeat what Rattata had told me out loud; there was nothing in the deal against it. So I waited until I was alone (or thought I was alone) and opened my beak. "Minccino's expecting an important visitor!" I squawked. "It's. . ." But I got no further before Minccino and Rattata jumped on me from a nearby tree.

"Aha!" Rattata cried. "Caught you! You were about to tell the secret, weren't you?"

* * *

To say I was indignant would be an understatement. I was furious, furious with Minccino and Rattata for spying on me, furious with myself for being unable to keep my beak shut. I'd tried so hard, but, in the end, I couldn't resist repeating what I had been told. I'd thought that, if no-one heard me, I might be able to get away with it, but I hadn't counted on the possibility that either Rattata or Minccino or both might be eavesdropping.

"You . . . you . . ." For once, I was completely lost for words. But Minccino wasn't.

"Sorry, Chatot," she said. "But the deal was that you had to keep the secret for the rest of the day and, since you were clearly about to break that deal, I'm going to have to say you've lost. And you know what that means . . ."

"That I have to do whatever you and Rattata say," I replied, though I couldn't helping thinking she was being a little unfair. After all, I hadn't actually told the secret, but when I tried to point this out to Minccino, she said the fact that I was about to do so was enough to prove that I couldn't resist the urge to spread gossip. As a result, I would have to spend tomorrow at the beck and call of the two Normal Type Pokemon who had challenged me to keep their secret.

Why couldn't I keep my beak shut?


	54. Tower

**Tower**

They say the central pillar of this tower was formed from the stem of a Bellsprout over 100 feet tall, which is why it always seems to sway slightly. I don't know how much truth there is in that story, but I've certainly never met a 100-foot Bellsprout and I suspect it's just something the humans made up, a story to tell their young. But, whatever the truth of the matter, this tower (located in the north of Violet City) has become known as Sprout Tower in honour of that legendary Bellsprout.

I too am a Bellsprout, but not a giant one. The average height for a Bellsprout is just over two feet, with some exceeding three feet, though even this is far short of the 100 feet attained by the Bellsprout whose stem is said to lie at the centre of this tower. We are Grass/Poison Pokemon which resemble yellow bell-shaped flowers, hence our name. And, while we may appear fragile (thanks largely to our slender stems) we can still put up a decent fight. And that is what the Bellsprouts belonging to those who train in this tower are taught to do.

Each of the trainers here has their own way of bringing out a Bellsprout's natural abilities. For example, my trainer, Thom, has taught me to "bend my stem", to be flexible and avoid getting too caught up in one particular way of doing things. He says being too rigid in your approach can leave you unprepared if something unexpected happens and, when it comes to Pokemon battles, this can lead to defeat. Of course, you can't always predict the outcome of a battle; there is always a chance that your opponent might do something completely unexpected, forcing you to think on your feet. But at least a flexible approach prepares you for most situations.

* * *

Many trainers who come to Violet City are drawn to Sprout Tower. Some come to hear about the fabled Bellsprout which grew to 100 feet tall . . . yada, yada, yada. But most come to challenge the Elder, the most venerable of all the trainers here and the only one with a Pokemon that isn't a Bellsprout. Or rather he does have a Bellsprout, but he also has a Hoothoot. You can find him on the top floor and, if you can defeat him in battle, he will give you a prize.

First, though, you have to get past all the other trainers and their Bellsprouts. And, like I said before, a Bellsprout should not be underestimated; just because we look weak and fragile doesn't mean we can't battle. I've floored many an opponent with my Vine Whip and sent many others to the Pokemon Centre to be cured of the effects of my Poison Powder. I don't send them personally, of course, but you know what I mean.

Thom generally trains on the second floor, where you can clearly see the central pillar swaying rhythmically. It's almost hypnotic at times and many a trainer has lost a battle here because they were distracted by the movement of the tower and weren't concentrating on the battle. Not Thom, though; the trainers here are taught to ignore all distractions and concentrate on one thing and one thing only, the Pokemon their Bellsprout is battling. If we lose, it's because the opponent was stronger than us, but we make sure to learn from our mistakes and feel no shame in defeat. That was one of the first things the Elder taught Thom shortly after he joined the ranks of the trainers here.

I'll never forget that day. Thom and I had just battled a girl's Vulpix and, rather predictably, we'd lost. Afterwards, Thom was sitting dejectedly in his room when the Elder came to speak to him; I was out of my Poke Ball at the time, so I heard everything that was said. I don't remember it all now, just the moment when the Elder said:

"Win or lose, the important thing is that you and your Pokemon have fun battling together. You must learn from your mistakes, young one, and remember the lessons they teach you so that you may continue to grow as a trainer."

That's the sort of advice the Elder offers and Thom knew he would be wise to follow it; after all, the Elder has been a trainer for many years and has learned a great deal in that time. The first thing Thom did was get me to learn moves such as Poison Powder and Stun Spore, so that I would at least have a chance the next time I came up against a Pokemon with a Type advantage over me. Indeed, my next opponent proved to be a Starly belonging to a boy from Sinnoh, but I managed to Poison the bird, forcing the boy to use his back-up Pokemon, a Zigzagoon. I lost that battle, but, following the Elder's advice, Thom told me not be discouraged, that I should use my defeat as a learning experience.

* * *

Thom has been training in Sprout Tower for over ten years now, ever since he found me as a wild Bellsprout. You might think, with all the battle experience I've gained, I would have shown some sign of evolving into a Weepinbell. But I haven't; none of the Bellsprouts trained in this tower have evolved, at least none that I know of. There's no rule that says they can't evolve; it's just something that doesn't happen. And most of my fellow Sprout Tower Bellsprouts don't want to evolve, since they are happy the way they are.

Besides, being an evolved Pokemon doesn't necessarily make you a better Pokemon, especially in the hands of an incompetent trainer. I saw this for myself when a boy tried to battle Thom and me using a Darmanitan which he had obtained via a trade with a trainer from Unova. He clearly thought having an evolved Pokemon, and a Fire Type at that, would give him a considerable advantage. I was a little worried myself at first. But, as the battle got under way, it soon became clear that the boy was not competent to handle such a powerful Pokemon.

The Darmanitan repeatedly ignored its trainer's commands, using Attacks other than the one it had been told to use and Tackling the boy when he tried to recall it. In the end, it took a nap, right in the middle of the battlefield, forcing the boy to recall it and admit defeat. It wasn't one of those Zen Mode Darmanitans - I've heard of them, but I've never seen one - so it didn't turn into a statue. It just lay down on the floor and started snoring so loudly that the central pillar shook more than usual. Fortunately it was recalled soon after.

Afterwards, the Elder (who meets all the trainers who take on the tower, regardless of whether or not they win any battles here) had this to say. "You cannot reach the top of a tower without first reaching the bottom." He said the boy lacked the experience to handle a powerful Pokemon like Darmanitan and advised him to hone his skills on weaker Pokemon before trying to handle something stronger.

At this, the boy looked outraged. "But weak Pokemon are pathetic! If I'm gonna win the League, I need strong Pokemon! That way, I'll be able to take on any opponent and beat them!"

The Elder tried to explain that even weak Pokemon grow strong with training. But the boy was not in the mood to listen and stormed out of the tower. I haven't seen him since and I sometimes wonder if he took the Elder's advice to heart. But, based on what I saw of him, I think that's highly unlikely.

* * *

I have encountered other trainers like the boy with the Darmanitan, trainers who think they can only succeed if they have strong Pokemon from the start. As such, they tend to be dismissive of unevolved Pokemon, considering them to be inferior and pushing their Pokemon to evolve as quickly as possible. But, like I said before, no Pokemon should be underestimated, even if it appears to be small and puny; it may have hidden strengths. So don't dismiss a Pokemon just because it looks weak or it hasn't evolved; "strength cannot always be measured by brute force", as the Elder says.

If you want to hear more of his words of wisdom, or battle the trainers here, or even see for yourself the pillar formed by the stem of the legendary 100-foot Bellsprout, please drop by the next time you are in Violet City. Sprout Tower is open to everyone; you don't need any special items to get in, or even any Gym Badges. In fact, many rookie trainers make the tower their first port of call when they arrive in Violet, since it gives them a chance to train their Pokemon before they try for their first Badge.

I look forward to meeting you.


	55. Waiting

**Waiting**

I am waiting.

What am I waiting for? I am waiting for the moon to rise over the lake, for that is when the Ledian mating dances will begin. That is when every Ledian for miles around will descend on this beautiful lake and perform various elaborate rituals with the aim of attracting a mate. This will be my first time - last year, I was still a Ledya - and I must admit I'm not entirely sure what to expect. But they say it is one of the most spectacular sights you can imagine.

I remember my mother telling me this was where she met my father. Like me, she was a newly evolved Ledian, eagerly awaiting her first mating dance but unsure what to expect. Luckily, she attracted the attention of a handsome male Ledian, who, from the moment he set eyes on her, wouldn't dance for anyone else. A male Ledian will normally mate with several females in a season, but he was different. He only had eyes for my mother.

Needless to say, I was the result of their union. And, now a Ledian myself, I am waiting for the moment when my first mating dance begins.

* * *

A Butterfree once told me humans have a name for this lake. They call it Lake Clearwater because the water is crystal clear, so clear that you can see right down to the bottom. And, having flown over it a few times, I'd have to say that's a pretty accurate description. You can see all kinds of Water Pokemon swimming around down there; I've even caught a glimpse of the odd Gyarados. And there's a Seaking who sometimes comes to the surface, not to mention a large Basculin shoal. The blue-striped variety . . .

Incidentally, humans do come here from time to time; that's how I know what they are. Fortunately, the humans I've seen tend to be interested in observing Pokemon in their natural habitat. However, I have heard of humans who travel around catching Pokemon, though I've never been able to work out why.

Sorry, I'm getting sidetracked. Now, where was I?

Oh, yes. This lake - Lake Clearwater as the humans call it - is where Ledian mating dances take place. I am waiting for the moon to rise, the signal for every Ledian in the vicinity to descend on this lake and perform the dances which will hopefully enable us to attract a partner. They say the Ledian mating dances are among the most spectacular you can see, lots of complex movements and flashing of the spot on our backs, but I will instinctively know what I must do. And I instinctively know I must wait until the moon rises before I descend upon the lake.

Waiting is hard. Every Ledian here is keyed up and ready for the dances to begin. But they cannot begin until the time is right, so we must resist the urge to fly down to the lake and remain patient until the moon has risen. It can't be long now; the sun is beginning to descend in the west, painting the sky a soft orange. Soon it will be time, time for me to descend and take part in my first mating dance, time for me to try and attract a partner.

I know the waiting will be over soon, but time seems to have slowed down. It always does when you are waiting for something, almost as if a Celebi was playing tricks. You know that isn't really the case, of course, but it certainly seems like it, especially when the thing you're waiting for is something you've been looking forward to. By contrast, if it's something you've been dreading, time seems to speed up. One of life's little ironies . . .

Anyway, I am waiting for the moon to rise, for that will be the signal for the Ledian mating dances to begin.

* * *

It is time. The moon has appeared in the sky, a silvery orb hanging over the lake. I spread my wings, then descend from the tree which has been my perch for the last few hours. At the same time, dozens of other Ledians also descend; they too have been waiting for this moment, this moment where they must try to attract a mate (or two) and ensure the future of our species. Some of those here tonight have done this many times; for others (like myself) this is the first time they have taken part in the mating dances. But we have all been waiting for this moment.

I fly down until I am almost touching the lake, then zoom back up to join the other male Ledians as we perform a perfectly synchronised ballet. The spots on our backs flash in time to our movements as we form intricate patterns in the air, all with the aim of attracting as many females as we can. The females are watching us, sizing us up to determine which of us can father strong, healthy offspring.

Gradually, the females fly up to join us and begin pairing off. Before long, the intricate group dance has ended and several Ledian couples are dancing together, their minds focused solely on each other. Before tonight is through, each couple will fly off together and . . . do what comes naturally. Though this is my first mating dance and therefore the first time I will mate, I will instinctively know what I need to do. Now, I just have to wait until one of the females notices me and hope she is prepared to give me a chance.

I think I may be in luck; there is a female who has not yet found a partner. And I know who she is, another Ledian who has only just evolved. So this will be her first time as well - I must get her attention before one of the older males claims her. I direct my dancing towards her and it is not long before she flies over to me and starts to perform the dance which a female Ledian performs when she is ready to accept a male as her mate.

I reply by flashing the spots on my back and the two of us then fly off together and share a special moment of intimacy.

* * *

The mating dances continue for the next three nights. Each evening, I return to the lake and wait for the moment when the moon rises, signalling the beginning of our nightly ritual. And the waiting is filled with just as much anticipation as on the first night, perhaps more so because I now know what to expect. Add to that the fact that I have chosen the most attractive Ledian at the lake and I have all the more reason to look forward to our dances.

Like I said before, a male Ledian will normally mate with several females in a season. But, like my father before me, I only have eyes for one: the same Ledian I chose on the first night. Every night, no matter how many other females try to attract my attention, I wait for _her_, for the one that I have chosen. If you'll excuse the cliche, she means more to me than any other Ledian I've ever met. So I wait for her every night and every night she comes to me.

Soon, she will be waiting for something else. The mating dances are almost over and, shortly after that, the females will begin to lay their eggs. She is already showing signs that she is going to produce an egg, an egg containing a Ledyba which I have fathered. At that point, my role will be over - a male Ledian plays no part in raising his offspring - but I know my mate will raise our son or daughter well.

And maybe there will come a night when our offspring, having evolved into a Ledian as well, comes to this lake to wait for the moon to rise, for the start of their first mating dance.


	56. Danger Ahead

**Danger Ahead**

As Stephen and I made our way through the mountain pass which led to the next city, I felt something which made my fur prickle. There was danger ahead; I knew it just as I know the sky is blue. I could not tell what form that danger took, only that it was close by - very close by.

As an Absol, I have the ability to sense impending danger. It's an innate talent my species has, allowing us to foresee disaster before it happens; because of this, humans sometimes refer to Absol as "the disaster Pokemon". Unfortunately, some of them misinterpret that and think we somehow cause disasters. But we don't; all we do is warn people of impending danger. Luckily, there are humans who aren't quite so narrow-minded, humans like my trainer, Stephen. For the past year, he and I (and his other Pokemon, of course) had been on a journey together, a journey to collect eight Gym Badges and qualify for the local Pokemon League.

Now, however, I could sense that Stephen was walking into danger. I can't explain how I knew; I just knew. And I also knew I had to warn him. "Stephen! Watch out up ahead!" I shouted. Of course, to Stephen, it sounded like: "Absol! Absol absol!" But my meaning was clear enough.

Unfortunately, my warning came a few seconds too late. At that very moment, Stephen strayed a little too close to the edge of a very narrow cliff-face and, the next thing I knew, he had disappeared from view. He was literally there one moment and gone the next. Getting as close as I dared to the edge, I called out to him, begging him to answer me, fearing he would never be able to answer me again. Just as I was about to give up hope, I heard his voice coming from down below.

"Absol! Down here!"

* * *

I peered down. Stephen was on a ledge some distance down; I couldn't tell how far, but it looked too far for even me to jump. But he had to get off that ledge somehow and the cliff was too sheer to climb. Perhaps his other Pokemon could help, if only I could make Stephen understand what he had to do. I called down to him, keeping my gaze firmly fixed on one of the Poke Balls attached to his belt, the Poke Ball which contained his Venusaur.

I'd known that Venusaur for a long time, ever since he was a little Bulbasaur who'd just joined Stephen's team. In fact, I was the Pokemon Stephen used in the battle to catch him. Anyway, Stephen's Venusaur knew Vine Whip and that was a handy move for getting out of tight spots - and spots don't get much tighter than a ledge halfway down a cliff. If he was let out of his Poke Ball, Venusaur could use Vine Whip and lift Stephen to safety. And, now that he was fully evolved, Venusaur could do the job using just one of his vines; had he still been an Ivysaur, he would have needed to use two.

In any case, since Stephen didn't have any Flying Type Pokemon, Venusaur was his best chance of getting off that ledge. I called down to him again. "Use Venusaur!" Not that that's what Stephen heard, but I hoped he would get the message. It was the only chance we had of getting him out of there, so I willed him to understand what I was trying to say.

Minutes which felt like hours passed. On the ledge, Stephen was examining his Poke Balls, as if he was trying to work out which of his Pokemon was best equiped to get him out of this mess. A mess he wouldn't have been in if I'd been able to warn him of the danger in time. In any case, he looked at each of the five Balls - I was one of those Pokemon who don't travel in a Poke Ball - in turn, making his decision.

There was Seaking, but he wasn't much use out of water - no offence, Seaking. Next came Watchog, Marowak and Heracross, all great Pokemon when it came to battles but not much use for getting a human off a ledge. That left . . .

"Venusaur, I choose you!" Stephen called, opening his last Poke Ball and releasing his Venusaur. Just what I'd been trying to tell him to do.

* * *

Venusaur emerged from the Poke Ball, appearing in a flash of red light. I watched as the Grass Pokemon with a large flower on his back emerged, then listened as Stephen told him what to do. "Quick, Venusaur, use your Vine Whip and lift me out of here!"

"You got it, kid," said Venusaur. At least that's what I, a fellow Pokemon, heard him say. But Stephen was human, so all he could hear was: "Saur venusaur, saur." In any case, as I watched from the top of the cliff, keeping well back from the edge, a thick vine emerged from the base of Venusaur's plant and snaked its way towards Stephen. Venusaur wrapped his vine around our trainer's waist and prepared to lift him to safety.

"Up you go!" I heard Venusaur say. And, moments later, Stephen was lifted off the ledge and placed back on the cliff-top, well away from the edge.

* * *

I ran over to Stephen and asked him if he was all right. Not that that's what Stephen heard, of course.

Nevertheless, in the way many trainers somehow know what their Pokemon are trying to say, he understood me. "No bones broken," he said, looking at me thoughtfully. "Absol," he added, resting his hand on my head, "you sensed it, didn't you? You knew there was danger up ahead."

I nodded to emphasise the "yes" which Stephen heard as "sol."

Stephen sighed and recalled Venusaur, who was still on the ledge below. "It was my fault mostly," he explained. "I was concentrating on getting to the next city and not on what lay directly ahead of me." He laughed slightly. "Guess I'd better be more careful from now on - and I'd better start paying attention to your warnings. After all, sensing danger is an Absol's special talent."

I had to agree. Stephen had been lucky this time - he hadn't fallen all that far, so he hadn't been hurt. But he might not be so lucky next time and that would mean his other Pokemon and I would be without a trainer. From now on, if we were travelling across potentially dangerous territory, I would keep constant watch for danger. That's something an Absol does by instinct anyway, but I was going to hone that instinct. I was going to train my danger sense to be as sharp as possible.

* * *

Stephen and I continued on our Pokemon journey. All the while, I was constantly on the alert for danger. If I sensed that something was wrong (a crumbling cliff, perhaps, or an imminent landslide) I would warn Stephen and we would look for a different route. This inevitably led to a few long detours, but it was worth it just to stay out of trouble. And, during the course of our trek through this mountainous terrain, Stephen caught a new Pokemon, a Graveler - with a little help from me. Of course, since he had six Pokemon with him, the Graveler got transported to the Pokemon lab where Stephen got his trainer's licence.

Anyway, Stephen and I eventually made it out of the mountains and found ourselves on the road to the next city. Ahead of us lay our next Gym battle, the next step on Stephen's path to becoming a Pokemon Master. There were also untold dangers, but I felt sure that, after today's little adventure, he would be more alert in future. And, if he wasn't, I would be.


	57. Sacrifice

**Sacrifice**

I looked at the lifeless form of the boy who had, moments before, run between myself and Mew just as we prepared to obliterate each other. At first, I felt nothing but contempt for this foolish human who had dared to try and stop our battle. He'd deliberately run between us, knowing what would happen to him as a result; there was no way a mere human could absorb two such powerful Psychic Attacks and live. What he had done was nothing but a futile act of defiance.

"Fool," I said. "Trying to stop our battle." But, as I watched, something happened which I, for all my enhanced Psychic powers, had not foreseen. The boy's Pikachu (who had refused to battle his clone) ran over to his trainer and began to use his Electric Attacks in an attempt to bring the boy round. It didn't work. I wasn't expecting it to; it was obvious that the kid was finished. Nonetheless, the Pikachu persisted, trying again and again to shock his trainer back to life.

Eventually, the Pikachu's energy was used up - and his trainer still hadn't come round. The Electric mouse made one final desperate effort, but his power was so low that he could only produce a few sparks. Then, as I watched, tears welled up in the Pikachu's eyes and began to trickle down his cheeks as he wept for his fallen trainer.

* * *

That was when something extraordinary happened; all the other Pokemon I had stolen from their trainers began to cry as well, as did all the clones I had created using DNA extracted from the stolen Pokemon. It wasn't just the boy's other Pokemon: a Bulbasaur, a Charizard and a Squirtle, together with their respective clones. Nor was it just the Vulpix and Psyduck belonging to the boy's two friends. It was all the Pokemon. All the Pokemon that I had forced to battle each other were weeping for the boy.

I had created those clones, as I myself had been created. And, just as the Mew DNA from which I was created had been altered to make me stronger, so I made my clones stronger. Their Attacks were far superior to ordinary Pokemon of the same species, as I was able to prove. Three of the six trainers who had braved the storm I had summoned and succeeded in reaching New Island had the final evolved forms of one of the Kanto starters. The boy who had tried to stop the fighting had a (poorly trained) Charizard, another boy had a Venusaur and one of the two girls had a Blastoise. I pitted super-clone versions of all three Pokemon against their non-cloned counterparts and won every battle.

To cut a long story short, I took the Pokemon belonging to the trainers and used them to create super-clones. I planned to have the clones and the ordinary Pokemon fight each other in the same way the Charizard, the Venusaur and the Blastoise had fought their clones. But, then, Mew turned up and convinced me that I wouldn't prove anything by just showing off a lot of special powers. So I decided to prove that my clones were physically superior as well and had them fight the Pokemon from which they had been cloned using only their physical strength.

It soon became clear that the clones and the ordinary Pokemon were too evenly matched, but I did not allow the battle to let up for one second. It was when most of the Pokemon were ready to drop from exhaustion that the boy threw himself between myself and Mew.

* * *

Now, all the Pokemon I had forced to battle almost to the death were united in an act of mourning. They wept for the boy who lay motionless on the floor and, as I watched, their tears began to converge on him, were magically absorbed into his body. Then, the boy stirred; he had come back to life. It had looked as though all hope was lost for him, but the Pokemon's tears had revived him.

It was then that I began to see things in a new light. Before, I had seen humans as an enemy that had to be destroyed, but the boy had sacrificed himself to save not only his own Pokemon, nor his friends' Pokemon, but every Pokemon, including the clones. I had regarded the bond between Pokemon and their trainers with contempt, seen the Pokemon as little more than servants. But this boy had proved that he loved Pokemon so much that he was prepared to risk anything for them. And the Pokemon had somehow sensed that.

Now, the boy's actions made sense. His attempt to punch me, the way he had freed all the Pokemon I had used to create the clones, the moment he threw himself between myself and Mew. At the time, I had thought he was being foolish, but I now sensed courage behind that foolishness, courage and a great love for all Pokemon. The boy was only young - as far as I could tell, he was the youngest out of all those I had lured to New Island - but he had done what no-one else had dared to do.

He had been prepared to stop the fighting no matter what the cost.

* * *

Finally, thanks to the boy's self-sacrifice, I understood. Whether you were born naturally or were created in a laboratory made no difference; what determined who you were was the choices you made in life. Had I understood this from the start, I might have done things differently, but I didn't. All I saw was that humans wanted to exploit me, so I thought only of getting revenge. My plan had been to create a storm so fierce that nothing could survive it; my clones and I would be shielded on New Island, while all humans and ordinary Pokemon perished.

But I now knew that there were good humans, humans like the boy. I could not destroy all humans just because some of them were corrupt and saw Pokemon only as tools. That would be wrong; I saw that now. My eyes had been opened and it was that young boy who was prepared to risk everything for the sake of his Pokemon, for the sake of all Pokemon, who had opened them.

On the other hand, I didn't want the corrupt humans to find me. I could sense that, if I returned the humans on New Island back to where they had come from, they would be unable to resist telling everyone about what had happened here. And that could lead to the ones who had wanted to exploit me finding me again. I could have prevented the humans from leaving New Island, but my new-found sense of morality told me that would be wrong; I had no right to imprison them here.

That meant there was only one thing I could do. I would return the humans and their Pokemon to the mainland, but I would erase all memory of me from their minds. They could then continue with their lives as if nothing had happened. Meanwhile, I would take the clones I had created and go somewhere that was as far away from humans as possible. Somewhere we could live in peace.

I took a vow that, from that day forth, I would never again use my powers to cause destruction in the world. I had been angry and I had lashed out at those I felt had wronged me, nearly destroying countless innocent lives in the process. But not any more. I would never forget the lesson the boy had taught me.

* * *

As the clones and I flew to an unknown destination, I began to see visions of the world as it had been at the dawn of history. I saw a storm as powerful as the one I had planned to unleash engulf the world, wiping out all but a few Pokemon. I saw the few surviving Pokemon gathered together, weeping for the lives lost in the storm. From a massive Onix to a small Rattata, they wept and then . . .

. . . all those who had perished in the storm came back to life and the world began to grow once more. My Psychic powers told me what had happened. The tears of the Pokemon from long ago had magically restored the lives lost in the storm, just as the tears of the Pokemon on New Island had restored the boy who was prepared to sacrifice himself for their sake. Then, the vision faded, but not before I had seen a small pink Pokemon resembling a cat with a long tail flying over the newly restored world.

Mew.


End file.
